


Some people just want to watch the world burn

by deenowr



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bullying, Canon Compliant, Fear, Friendship, Gen, Haikyuu!! Chapter 402: Final Chapter: Challengers Spoilers, Inarizaki, Inarizaki third years - Freeform, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, Overcoming bullying, POV Kita Shinsuke, Post-Canon, Spoilers, Threats of Violence, Yakuza
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:14:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 32,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27975004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deenowr/pseuds/deenowr
Summary: “Yeah, go off with your pretty little captain. He must be very good at other things if he got captain but wasn’t even playing.”Both Aran and Atsumu stilled. Kita knew a full-blown fight would occur if they didn't depart as soon as possible. Anyway, he was used to those kinds of comments. He was no genius at volleyball, he knew that. The best way to deal with people like that, in his experience, would be to walk away. Pay them no heed.Little did he know that it would come back to haunt him.
Relationships: Kita Shinsuke & Miya Atsumu & Miya Osamu & Ojiro Aran & Suna Rintarou, Kita Shinsuke & Ojiro Aran, Kita Shinsuke/Miya Atsumu
Comments: 62
Kudos: 152





	1. How it Begins

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, dear readers, thank you for trying this out! Notes :-  
> 1\. I received a challenge to write angst instead of my usual humour/general fics. This is how this fic was born!  
> 2\. I feel passionately about bullying. I was bullied for 3 long years in school, and I still have effects like anger and depression from it to this day. If bullying triggers you, please proceed with caution, and feel free to reach out if you need to, okay?  
> 3\. The article at the start has some elements of truth. It's based on some Yakuza activity in Hyogo prefecture in 2019. From there, I had to research a lot about Yakuza, and read up about the tradition of yubitsume, and wanted to incorporate it.  
> 4\. Tarou Oomi is one of Inarizaki's coaches in the manga, but he isn't a big character, so I just turned him into Farmer Tarou LOL.  
> 5\. Kita Shinsuke. Why did I choose him? I wanted to show that bullying and harassment can happen to anyone. He's a stoic character, an intimidating captain, very disciplined... he caught my eye to attempt to write him LOL.  
> I think that's it, enjoy!

**  
**

**Yakuza Members Suspected in Konbini Store Owner’s Murder**

**Amagasaki, 2nd September 2013 - The suspects involved in the murder of the 32-year-old konbini store owner that occurred on the 17th of October 2013 has been identified as members of the Yamaguchi-gumi yakuza. Associates of the gang have been brought in for questioning. The Chief Police of Hyogo Prefecture has issued six Hyogo Prefecture Cities, including Amagasaki, to be under special precautions in order to accelerate this case’s progression. Special precautions refer to the order that police of these municipalities may detain gang members who violate restrictions, such as loitering in the vicinity of rival gangs or meeting with more than four gang members. Residents are advised to be aware and take the necessary precautions for their own safety.  
**

“Shin-chan, did ya read the news article on Amagasaki? The yakuza activity is gettin’ worse. A few of the townspeople mentioned that yakuza may be leavin’ the major Hyogo cities to hide in the country and smaller towns like ours. It’s worryin’,” said Kita Yumie, watching as her grandson methodically tied the shoelaces of his sports shoes.

Kita stood up and grabbed his bag, filled with all the essentials needed to last him for the grueling 4-hour volleyball practice that would be starting soon. “It is. But our police force is capable and ‘s long as we follow their safety instructions, I believe we should be fine,” Kita said evenly. “ I’ve fed the barn dogs earlier so they should be full and alert now. If anythin’ concerns you, you can contact me. I’ll be vigilant with my phone today,” he added to placate the elderly woman.

“You don’t need to worry about me, Shin-chan, I’ll be visitin’ Minami-san down the road for tea today. But what time will you be back?” Kita’s grandmother asked. It was clear from her tone that she was more anxious about her grandson’s safety, and was running multiple scenarios involving gang ambushes and more in her mind.

Kita smiled at Yumie, endeared. “I will return right after practice, Oba-san, and I will be walkin’ with Aran. I’ll be back before 7:30 pm.” With that, he bade his grandmother goodbye and made his way to Inarizaki High. 

It was a Friday, and most students had evacuated the high school premises once the last bell rang. The Inarizaki Volleyball team, however, had practice planned for that day, after an hour’s break for lunch. Kita would have brought his own bento and eaten with the members in school, but ever since his younger brother had left the family home that year to start primary school in Tokyo under his elder sister’s care, Kita didn’t like leaving his grandmother alone for mealtimes if he could help it. She claimed that she wasn’t lonely because there were kami watching over them, but there was a difference between protection and companionship, Kita believed. 

Spring InterHigh was coming soon, and Inarizaki was intent on claiming their spot to represent Hyogo prefecture for the fourth consecutive time. They had two more opposing teams to battle against, and if both ended in victory, they would be going to Tokyo to go against other powerhouses. 

When Kita reached the gym, he heard the squeaking of shoes against the wooden floors of the gym, followed by rapid thumps of a ball being hit. At the entrance of the gym, he saw Atsumu setting the ball towards Ginjima, who spiked it powerfully across the net. The other team members were on the floor, some stretching while others were talking. 

“Atsumu, Ginjima, have ya eaten?” Kita asked in greeting. 

Both his kouhai stopped and exchanged glances with each other. Whatever it is that Atsumu saw in Ginjima’s eyes seemed to give him the courage to answer Kita, because he nodded his head almost vigorously. “Y-yeah, ya don’t have to worry ‘bout that. We have energy for practice, and I can guarantee ya my serves are gonna be perfect.”

Kita walked towards the third years, who were watching the exchange between their setter and their captain in amusement. “Be sure to stretch first. You might get a stitch, and that would hinder yer efficiency,” Kita said. He meant it as a reminder, but the way both second years stiffened and grimaced made it seem like it was a warning. They both dropped down to stretch their legs.

“Shin, did ya have a good lunch? How’s your oba-san doin’?” Akagi asked, patting a spot nearby for Kita to join them. 

“It was good. My Oba-san’s doin’ fine. I think she still misses my younger brother, but she’s keepin’ herself busy with cleanin’ and tendin’ to the crop fields. Did you guys have a good lunch?” Kita replied, shrugging off his jacket. He set his belongings neatly near the bench before claiming the spot indicated by Inarizaki’s libero. They had a few more minutes before practice officially started, so there was time for conversation. 

“Yeah, we didn’t bring bentos today, so we got lunch from the konbini nearby with the juniors... which would have been fine if someone didn’t decide that it was a good time to talk about the murder of that konbini owner that happened in Amagasaki.” Aran looked pointedly at Oomimi, who stared back, unabashed. 

“I couldn’t help it. It was quite the topic of conversation today in school,” Oomimi answered, “I know my neighbours are worried and were thinking of bringing up increased community police patrols with the mayor. We are far from Amagasaki, but it wouldn’t do any harm to take precautions.” 

“Oba-san was worried about it too. I think she may have been readin’ tabloid magazines about the yakuza… I saw them in the living room and they had some horrible pictures,” Kita said plainly. “But I think it’s important to focus on the present first. And for us, that means overcoming our next opponent, Kawanishi High.”

Their coach had finally made an appearance, and the club members had begun to gather around, ready to perform their routinary stretches. 

“Yeah, we don’t need memories an’ all that. Let’s look forward and try our best to win the next one, eh?” Akagi took a playful jab at their school’s motto, effectively ending their conversation on a more cheerful note.

* * *

At the end of the 4-hour practice, Coach Norimune gave them a briefing. He spent the first few minutes talking about what could be improved on, and game strategies they could further solidify to carry out in their future matches. Then, he proceeded to talk about their next opponent. 

“Next week, we will be going against Kawanishi High, as you all know. They won 2-1 against Yumenodai High… which was unexpected, and this proves that we cannot take them lightly,” Coach Norimune emphasized. 

It was true that Kawanishi High’s win was not predicted. Yumenodai High had a volleyball team that was more stable and had more experience, since most of their members were seniors. Before this, Kawanishi’s volleyball team was not seen as a strong contender, but it seems that things may have changed. Not much info could be garnered about their playing style, but Inarizaki had managed to gather the profiles of all the players. 

“It seems that we may have to be wary of their first years… one of them, in particular, who is also their wing spiker, Yamamoto Kyuusei. He’s actually a new student in Kawanishi, admitted a few months ago,” Coach Norimune pursed his lips for a moment, before continuing, “Our resources tell us that he will be Kawanishi’s team's next ace. So, he must be… really good.”

“Wow, a new first year student who just joined, and he’s already goin’ for ace? He’s either a genius or the whole team’s suckin’ up to him,” Atsumu drawled out. Osamu immediately elbowed him roughly. “Ouch! ‘Samu, yer bony as Hell, you ass!” Atsumu hissed, rubbing his arm. 

Before the twins could escalate into a fight, Coach Norimune continued. “Atsumu, you’re not wrong, although it would do you good to learn more tact,” he sighed, “but if it seems like the whole team is favouring him as their weapon of choice, it must also mean that they see benefit in doing so. As such, we will need to be careful since we don’t have enough information. That’s it for today, but I’ll see you all tomorrow early morning for practice.”

With that, everyone gathered their things and was ready to leave the gym, ready for some well-deserved showers and dinner. Aran helped Kita lock up and they walked back together. Aran lived close to Kita, although there was an intersection where they would part ways, and Kita had to walk a few more minutes before he reached his own residence. It was routine for them to walk, and after almost three years of that and spending time in volleyball club together, Aran Ojiro was one of Kita’s closest friends, although they may not be in the same class. 

On their way home, they found a few uniformed police patrolling the streets, and they greeted them. There were a few police cars driving around too, although their sirens stayed silent. They didn’t seem to belong to the local community police. 

“The yakuza news has everyone on edge, huh,” Aran said thoughtfully, when they crossed paths with the third officer on their way home. Kita nodded in agreement. They had a short discussion about some volleyball strategies as well as schoolwork before it was time to part ways. 

When Kita reached home, it was around 7:15 pm and judging by the smell of grilled meat in the air, Yumie had started to cook for dinner. He washed up, helped his grandmother with dinner and ate with her, followed by some homework before he got ready for bed. It was all very familiar, comfortable things for Kita, and when it was time to sleep, it easily claimed him.

* * *

_Pheet!_

The referee blew the whistle, signalling yet another warning to Kawanishi High, who had once again tried to grab the ball when it was clearly in Inarizaki’s area. They were barely halfway through the first set of Inarizaki vs Kawanishi, but Kawanishi’s team had already brought out the ire of the referee towards them. It wasn’t the whole team that kept breaking the rules. It was one individual, in particular… the so-called first year ‘ace’ of the team, Yamamoto Kyuusei. 

Yamamoto Kyuusei, the very member they discussed last time, was not the tallest nor the bulkiest, but he seemed to have a perpetually angry look on his face that got more and more intense as Inarizaki continued to score. It was normal to feel irritated with your opponent’s advances, but it was clear that if given the chance, Kyuusei was someone that would lash out physically in frustration to hurt his competitor. 

“That Yamamoto looked like he wanted to kill you for that spike, Osamu,” Suna said, when the referee signalled for a time-out as requested by Kawanishi’s coach. 

“Yeah. He’s definitely somethin’,” Osamu replied shortly, gulping down water from his bottle. Thankfully, Osamu was level-headed enough to ignore the opposing wing spiker’s antagonistic actions. Atsumu, on the other hand, was a different matter. 

“Did ya see how he tried to grab the ball over the net when I was aimin’ for a dump shot?! If the referee didn’t give him that penalty, I woulda kicked his ass,” Atsumu muttered darkly. Even the cheers from their school’s cheer squad did nothing to lighten his mood. 

The second years were right in pointing out Yamamoto Kyuusei’s problematic behaviour. But at the same time, it wasn’t like you could ask your opponent to change one of their team members for being disrespectful. Besides, it was clear that the Kawanishi team members seemed almost afraid of their new ‘ace’, although there were clearly members older than him. 

Keeping this in mind, Kita addressed his team members who were clustered around him and their coach. “Kawanishi may anger you, but don’t let emotions cloud yer judgement during the game. Play like we always practice, and focus on deliverin’ your best. We’ll end this game quickly and win,” Kita said, tone firm. He cast a look at the Miya twins especially, since they were relatively the most hot-headed amongst the team members. They both were sullen, Atsumu a bit moreso, but nodded in acquience. His words seemed to work in reminding the frustrated players of their main objective, as they returned to court with new determination.

Inarizaki won the first set against Kawanishi with a score of 25-16 with no additional problems. Yamamoto Kyuusei was still burning holes with his gaze whenever any of the Inarizaki members scored, but no skirmishes occurred. It was during the second set when the inevitable fight finally occurred. Surprisingly, it involved Osamu instead of Atsumu. 

The score for the second match was at 20-13, and Kawanishi became increasingly desperate and made more mistakes. Tensions rose on their side of the court. They managed to receive the ball that was served by Kawanishi, and Atsumu was going to set the ball to Osamu. Osamu ran closer towards his twin, parallel to the net, poised to jump. It was going to be the perfect time to score.

But things went south fast when someone on the Kawanishi side lashed out with a foot that clearly went over the midline, sending Osamu sprawling onto the ground. Atsumu’s eyes widened in shock when he saw his twin brother fall, and the ball he set went sailing off-course, ignored. There was a beat of stunned silence, since it was rare to see a volleyball player, especially one as experienced as Osamu, take a fall like that. The referee blew on his whistle, halting the game.

“Osamu, are you okay?!” Aran was the first to bark out, running towards the fallen wing spiker to help him up. He grey-haired male nodded, teeth gritted. His left knee was bleeding, having scraped the floor hard.

Coach Norimune and Kita both approached the referee. “Kawanishi’s number 14 committed a foul,” Coach Norimune stated to the referee.

“It was clear that number 14, Yamamoto Kyuusei’s foot went over the midline, trippin’ up our number 11,” Kita affirmed, eyes not leaving his injured team member who hobbled towards the bench with Aran and Oomimi’s help. Atsumu followed them closely, looking worried. Kita was glad that his concern for his brother prevented him from picking a fight with the other team’s hostile first year. It would not have helped their case if Inarizaki showed little restraint as well. The audience, however, showed no restraint whatsoever as they booed and jeered at the Kawanishi team in protest.

Nearby, the offender himself, Yamamoto Kyuusei, was glaring at Osamu’s figure. However, when he heard Kita utter his name, he fixed his murderous gaze on the captain instead. Yamamoto towered over Kita, but Kita merely stared back, uncowed. Yamamoto’s glowering only stopped when his teammates crowded around him, along with Kawanishi’s coach, who was clearly unhappy.

The referee nodded in assent, and Kawanishi High was issued a penalty. The rally went to Inarizaki, and Yamamoto Kyuusei was no longer allowed to play for the rest of the match, which should be a cause of celebration, but everyone seemed shaken by Osamu’s injury. Osamu wanted to continue after his wound was cared for and wrapped properly, but Coach Norimune was insistent that he was substituted. It was clear that Atsumu was most affected, but the game went on without any similar interruptions this time.

… Although there were multiple times Kita felt Yamamoto’s eyes on him, filled with such vile poison that it was hard to comprehend. Both teams dearly wanted victory, of course, but the journey of gaining it was important to one’s development, Kita believed. It added to the sweetness of winning, if everything was done fairly and right. It was troubling to find an opponent who managed to reach this level, but still with the immature mindset of only the end goal mattering. Kita easily ignored Yamamoto’s eyes that were trained on him, and focused on the task of jotting notes on the play as the match went on. 

Inarizaki won the second match 25-15, and would ultimately move on in the qualifying rounds to represent Hyogo. Kawanishi was out of the equation. The whole Inarizaki team was happy at their victory, but their celebratory mood was subdued by the event with Yamamoto Kyuusei. When they gathered on the bus that would take them home, Kita sighed and refrained himself from massaging his temples. His teammates didn’t need to know how bothered he was, since they were already bothered enough. 

Aran, who sat next to him, had no qualms about hiding such emotions. “That was a crazy match, and definitely not the fun kind. I couldn’t believe my eyes when that Yamamoto kid did something like that - he needs anger management classes.”

“Yeah,” Akagi interjected from behind them, “honestly, I thought Suna was goin’ to punch the kid even with the net in the way. I’m glad he didn’t - or any of them. Because it would definitely have made things worse. That Yamamoto kid didn’t look like he woulda backed down.”

“It was good that they made the decision to take him out. He needed t’ cool down,” Kita said. He chose not to mention that the very much dissatisfied Kawanishi ‘ace’ had kept his gaze trained on Kita the entire time, gaze indiscernible, but clearly with no friendly thoughts in mind. 

“Okay, is everyone on board? We’ll be heading back to Inarizaki - but before that, we’ll get dinner with barbecue meat,” Coach Norimune announced. He grinned when his words lightened up the somber atmosphere and were met with several cheers, one of the loudest from Osamu.

“Coach, not everyone’s here yet - Atsumu had t’ go to the toilet. He said he couldn’t hold it in,” Ginjima reported, once the cheers died down.

“Well, how long ago was it?” Coach asked. 

“Um… well, about 20 minutes now, I guess,” Ginjima said slowly. It seemed to occur to him at that moment that the period of time might be just a bit too long if the blonde setter was just going to the bathroom if he didn’t have a chronic stomach ache. Which meant…

“20 minutes for a bathroom break is a long time for Miya, don’t ya think, Ginjima? Especially considerin’ the circumstances,” Coach Norimune sighed, kneading his forehead. In his frustration, his Kansai dialect was more pronounced. 

“I’ll get ‘im,” Kita spoke, standing up. He was silent but he emanated a quiet type of cold fury that made the people near him shrink away. Except Aran, who just looked resigned, “I’ll go too.”

Kita didn’t disagree, as the responsibility of keeping the Miya twins in check had always naturally gone to Aran, as he knew the twins the longest and was immune to their tomfoolery. Since Osamu was squashed in a corner of the bus next to Suna and didn’t seem like he would be able to make an escape to join his twin even if he wanted to, it was logical for Aran to accompany Kita in retrieving Atsumu… and help defuse any situation that Atsumu had landed himself in.

They walked briskly in the direction of the men’s bathroom. There were still people walking about to observe matches that were ongoing within the large gymnasium. However, the men’s bathroom that was reserved for the volleyball players was tucked away deeper into the gym, and it was quite deserted when Kita and Aran approached it. 

“You don’t think Atsumu’s really gone after that Yamamoto kid, do you?” Aran asked, as they rounded the corner. Just one turn to the left, and they would reach their destination - and hopefully, it wasn’t too bad of a scene. 

“No. But he has a tendency to attract trouble, ya know that as well as I do,” Inarizaki’s captain replied. 

As they neared the bathroom’s heavy wooden door, they could hear raised voices. One of them sounded like Atsumu’s. There were no sounds of violence, but they weren’t going to take any chances. Aran swung the door to the bathroom open and Kita led the way in. 

Immediately, the conversation or whatever it was, halted. Atsumu was standing near the toilet sinks, fists clenched and face twisted in anger. Very few steps away was Yamamoto Kyuusei himself, and he had another sleazy-looking friend with him. Unlike Yamamoto, his friend was not dressed in Kawanishi’s volleyball uniform, so he may have been in the stands to offer support instead. Yamamoto looked surprised at first, then his gaze darkened, as his eyes flitted from Kita to Aran. His friend just had a shit-eating grin on the whole time. 

“What’s goin’ on here?” Aran asked, voice ringing in the quiet of the bathroom.

They expected either Atsumu or Yamamoto to say something, but the new addition was the one who replied instead, “Don’t worry, nothing serious. We just wanted to congratulate Miya on your team’s win. It was cool to be able to see what the hype about Inarizaki’s Miya twins was all about.” The tone was too slick, too smooth to be anything but sincere. 

Surprisingly, Atsumu kept his gaze focused on the toilet sink, only his fists clenched harder. That itself was a telling sign that the two Kawanishi High students did not seek out Miya Atsumu in the men’s bathroom just to wish him well on his team’s well-earned victory. And the fact that there were two of them against one… Kita couldn’t help but feel contempt towards their cowardly actions. He met the eyes of Yamamato’s rotten friend head on, and the other male’s smile slipped off his face, laying bare a spiteful look. 

“Atsumu, the whole bus is waitin’ for ya,” Kita spoke, looking at his setter, “come on.” Atsumu nodded, eyes still downcast, as he walked towards his teammates. To others, it may have seemed like he was being silently obstinate, but Kita could tell that he was trying to reign in his boiling anger, and it was best not to look at his offenders lest he lashed out. The trio turned around as a unit and made to leave the bathroom, along with the unpleasant atmosphere that clung around the two unfamiliar boys.

“Yeah, go off with your pretty little captain,” Yamamoto spoke for the first time, voice rough. “He must be very good at other things if he got captain but he wasn’t even playing.” 

Both Atsumu and Aran’s eyes flashed in anger at the statement, and Kita knew things were going to head south because Atsumu whirled around, shoulders tensed and ready to attack. Kita gripped the younger boy’s shoulder, hard and firm, to ground him and reel him in. Thankfully, Aran controlled himself as well and grabbed Atsumu’s other arm, dragging him out of the bathroom. Kita followed close behind, just to make sure Atsumu didn’t dash out from their hold and give Yamamoto Kyuusei the ass-beating of his life. Kita did not even deign to give the younger male a reply or a look back.

When they were a good distance away from the bathroom and had reached a private spot void in the corridor void of eavesdroppers, Kita signalled for them to stop. He folded his arms and studied Atsumu, who very determinedly kept his gaze down. He was sulking. Which was an improvement over mindless anger, but still. The captain didn’t want to bring back an upset setter that would agitate the whole bus. At Kita’s side, Aran stayed quiet, waiting for his captain to make the first move. 

“Atsumu, ya didn’t search for Kawanishi’s number 11. Ya had to go to the toilet, Ginjima said,” Kita began. A sulky Atsumu was a petulant Atsumu, and it was best to sound like you were on his side and not against him when it came to confronting him. 

“...Yeah. Drank too much water. I didn’t hunt him down, the bastard came to me! He brought his friend and they were sayin’ all this stuff ‘bout ‘Samu and our school, so I told ‘em to shut the hell up, but I didn’t _do_ anythin’, I swear,” Atsumu grumbled. 

Kita exchanged a look with Aran. They were both on the same wavelength; Atsumu wasn’t lying. Atsumu may be easy to anger at times and he would act rashly then, but he also kept away from delinquency. It was no secret that he wanted to play volleyball long term and go pro, he had the potential and drive for it, but that also meant he had to ensure his records were clean if he wanted to aim for a sports scholarship or land himself in a good team in future. 

“We believe you,” Aran said gently, hands on Atsumu’s shoulders, “but you really have a knack of attracting trouble. Next time, bring one of the members with you - especially after a game like that, we don’t want to take any chances. Honestly, I thought you were smarter than that.” 

“I’m smart!” Atsumu protested. “I didn’t punch him or anythin’, and I could have. Cornerin’ me in the bathroom and all that… who woulda thought scum like that could beat Yumenodai High. And you should’ve heard the trash they were spoutin’. Damn it, I’m gettin’ angry just thinkin’ about it!”

“Okay, okay, let’s drop the subject and head back to the bus. We’re all hungry and tired,” Aran chided, and Atsumu visibly deflated. 

Usually, Kita would not entertain his kouhai - but he knew Atsumu was shaken by Osamu’s injury, and there was a high chance Atsumu went to the bathroom without company for some quiet, alone time. The setter could have retaliated towards Yamamoto and his friend, and things would have escalated and caused a commotion between the two schools. But he didn’t do any of that. So. 

“You did well, Atsumu,” Kita said. Atsumu whipped his head towards the stoic third year so fast that he almost snapped his neck. His mouth dropped open and his cheeks coloured again, looking awestruck. 

“T-thanks, Kita-san! I, um, did my best!” Atsumu replied, rubbing his neck bashfully. It was rare for him to receive praises from Kita. Aran sniggered behind his hand, turning it into a cough when Atsumu looked at him, affronted. 

“But don’t rile up the rest of yer teammates when we get back. There’s no use draggin’ things that are over,” Kita continued, leading the way back. 

“Okay, okay, I’ll keep my mouth shut, Cap’n,” Atsumu promised. Kita didn’t doubt that the details of the vent would slip out eventually, but at least the blonde twin said he would try. 

Coach Norimune was waiting outside of the bus, typing a message on his phone rapidly when the trio arrived. The worried look on his face was replaced with a look of relief when he saw that none of them looked worse for wear. It was obvious that he studied Atsumu more intensely compared to his two seniors though. He looked like he had a lot to say, but just shook his head and nodded in the bus’ direction. “Get on board, all of you, or we’ll be late for our dinner reservation.”

On board, Atsumu’s appearance was immediately met with a bunch of clamoring, especially from the younger members. 

“Atsumu, you got us all worried, ya jerk!”

“Why’d ya take so long? Did you have diarrhea or something? Ew.”

“When are ya going to quit giving yer seniors a hard time?!”

“YA FILTHY PIG, ‘TSUMU! I swear, if ya got into a fistfight or somethin’, I’m gonna kick yer ass - we’re all hungry!” Osamu was the loudest. He glowered unhappily at his twin brother. An outsider who didn’t know them would have thought Osamu was being coldhearted, but in reality, his usually blank eyes betrayed the concern he had for his twin. And the anger. There was always anger involved, somehow. 

“I didn’t get into a fistfight, idiot! I just had to take a piss, that’s all. Anyway, ‘m here now, and I’m sorry for holdin’ us all up,” Atsumu muttered, bowing in apology. 

There were still members who insisted on more details, because it was obvious that there were things Atsumu was skipping out on, but Coach Norimune clapped his hands for attention. “Alright, everyone take your seats. Now that we’re all here, we’re getting a move on to dinner!”

“Finally,” Aran groaned, his stomach echoing his sentiments.

During dinner, as expected, the only conversation that occurred was heard between Coach Norimune and their busdriver, as well as some murmurs here and there amongst the third years. The first and second years were busy stuffing their faces with tender barbecued meat. Oomimi looked bemused, as this time Osamu was sitting next to him, and it became his duty to thump the second year wing spiker on the back everytime he choked.

“So… what happened with Atsumu? He didn’t look roughed up, but he ran into Yamamoto Kyuusei? ‘S that right?” Akagi asked curiously. He was seated at the very edge of the table where all four of the Inarizaki third years were, but he was careful in keeping his tone low. In the bus, after being pestered by all his friends, Atsumu finally gave in and said that he met Yamamoto and they ‘just had a li’l talk is all’. Then he bickered with Osamu over which one of them would actually win in a fist fight against Yamamoto Kyuusei, and all was forgotten. 

“Yeah, something like that… Atsumu was using the bathroom and at some point, the Yamamoto kid walked in with a friend. They said things that got on his nerves but he didn’t fight back. Just told them to shut up,” Aran replied. 

“Wow, I’m impressed with Atsumu’s maturity! Seems like ya both have him handled eh, Shin, Ojiro?” Akagi chuckled. 

Oomimi stopped looking at Osamu’s eating behaviour incredulously, and instead, twisted his long torso around to discreetly join in their conversation. “Did Atsumu give a hint as to what those troublemakers said? If it was pretty bad, then it’s commendable that he kept his patience, considerin’ how reckless he can be.”

“Well… he mentioned that they said some crap about Osamu and the whole team - but it doesn’t matter. The match is over and we’re done. We’re going to graduate after all this so that’s the last we see of Kawanishi’s ‘new ace’, anyway. I just hope our kouhai will be able to reel their tempers in, if they cross paths with Kawanishi again,” Aran said thoughtfully. 

“Yes, there’s no use thinkin’ about it. We won’t be seein’ them again.” Kita nodded, and his words effectively ended the conversation as a new one started about their upcoming opponent. 

In the future, he would look back upon this conversation, and marvel at the amount of conviction he had. Things would be different if what he said rang true.

* * *

Inarizaki represented Hyogo prefecture in the Spring InterHigh held in Tokyo, but ultimately lost to Karasuno. It was a surprise, as Inarizaki was a powerhouse of a school, but it was also a surprise to hear that the ‘flightless crows’ of Karasuno defeated Shiratorizawa. After all, Ushijima Wakatoshi was one of the top five high school volleyball aces in Japan, and any team he was on would be a difficult opponent, especially for a fledgling like Karasuno who was just finding their bearings. 

It was a good match though, and Kita was proud of his team, even if it was their loss. He was secretly worried about the rambunctious Inarizaki juniors and how they would take the loss, since he remembered how frustrated they were when they lost in the 2013 Nationals. However, it seemed like losing to Karasuno’s individuals, like the orange-haired Hinata Shouyo and their serious setter Kageyama Tobio, only fueled Kita’s kouhai to improve. He could definitely see them claiming victory in future. 

When nationals came to an end, Kita and the other Inarizaki volleyball third years had more free time after retiring from the club. Their kouhai threw them a surprise thankyou party at the very last club meeting before the third years officially departed from the club. They each received a framed picture of the club, as well as a special alumni varsity jacket. Kita received an additional gift from Atsumu when he was clearing out his locker; a little ‘study well’ basket packed with Kita’s favourite konbini snacks as repayment for the ‘get well pack’ that Kita had once given Atsumu when he was sick. When he thanked the blonde setter the next day in school in front of his friends, Atsumu blushed so hard he looked like he was seconds away from fainting. 

The Inarizaki volleyball third years still hung out and studied together, although only Oomimi and Kita were in the same class. Now that volleyball season was over, they were free to focus all their efforts and energy on studying for the national college entrance examinations held in January. Kita enjoyed volleyball, but it was nice to be able to fully focus on academics, and he had much more free time, which he used to increase the amount of time he helped his grandmother around the garden and paddy fields. He was slipping into another comfortable routine, and was getting used to it. 

But, everything came to a jarring end on a Friday. Just like the English proverb, all good things must come to an end.

* * *

Kita was waiting near Inarizaki’s school gates for Aran. The school bell rang about ten minutes ago, marking the end of school on Friday, but Aran was not at their usual meeting spot before they walked home together. He was never this late. Kita was just about to head to his friend’s classroom in the hopes of finding him there, when Aran finally appeared and bounded towards him. 

“Shinsuke, sorry I’m late,” Aran apologized, “but Oka-sensei is having extra tutoring sessions for Japanese Literature. It’s a last minute thing, she just told our class about it, and I thought I would stay since I do have a few questions - is that fine with you?”

“Oh - that’s no problem. I hope you get yer questions answered,” Kita said, nodding. 

“Thanks! But you’ll still make it to my house this evening for our study session, right? Ren and Michinari are both comin’, and my okaahan made her special wagashi for us today,” Aran said. Aran’s house was often used as a meetup point for all of them, since amongst the four of them, his place was the closest connecting point. 

“I’ll be there, so I’ll see ya soon,” Kita smiled, and bidded his friend goodbye.

On his way home, he decided to drop by the bakery that his grandmother often frequented and buy her some of her favourite meat buns. That way, he wouldn’t feel too guilty enjoying wagashi at Aran’s house while his oba-san was home alone - not that she minded. It was a relaxing walk, since Kita was never one to feel bothered by being alone. Aran was good company, but when Kita was alone, he could think of his schedule or, ‘overthink his schedule’ as his friend often said, without being called out for it.

When Kita passed the busy intersection where he and Aran would part, the streets would become relatively more quiet, since Kita lived further into the country than his other friends did. Maintaining a field that would alternate between paddy and wheat meant that they had a big plot of land and needed space, so neighbours were also spread quite a distance away from each other… not that the distance stopped Kita Yumie from befriending all their neighbours.

Kita would need to walk for about 10 more minutes before he reached home. There was an old weathered wooden bridge he would need to cross to pass through Muko River, worn out by the trampling of hooves of animals and the feet of humans alike, but still stable. In the summer, it was usually more lively as farmers herded animals through and fro to carry their crops’ yield towards town and back. However, since it was nearing winter, Muko River’s bridge was deserted. 

It was at this bridge that it happened. Kita had walked safely across the bridge, his mind fixated on whether or not he should have bought meat buns for Aran’s family as well, when something knocked into him from the right, hard, and he was sent tumbling down the steep banks of Muko River. Thankfully, his reflexes, sharpened by volleyball, helped him grab the river bank’s tufts of grass before he took a dip into the icy cold water. His sling bag had fallen a good distance away, dirtied with soil.The white package of meat buns was no longer pristine as it lay on the ground as well. 

Before he could discern what was going on, and identify who the culprit that caused him to fall was, rough hands grabbed him and threw him bodily under the bridge, where he landed painfully. Now, Kita may not have been the tallest in Inarizaki’s volleyball team, but he was taller than the average male in Japan and sports had helped tone and lean him up with muscle. It meant that his attacker was strong, even with the element of surprise.

Kita exhaled harshly through his nose, when he realized that his landing may have twisted his wrist. He tried to scramble up, his knees hurt from the fall. His attacker, dressed in a black jacket with the hood pulled up to obscure his face, stalked towards him. “What are ya -” Kita began, struggling to stand up, but he was kicked in the shin and fell down. This was followed by a foot connecting into his side. Kita coughed, gasping at the sudden onslaught of pain. A foot landed on his twisted wrist, aggravating it further, and Kita couldn’t help the small cry he emitted. 

A cruel laugh from his attacker. “Wow, they were right. You’re quite the looker... even when you’re all beat up.” Kita writhed on the ground, trying to pry off the heavy boot that was pressing his injured wrist into the ground. “Look here and smile for me,” His attacker’s face was closer now, and a hand pulled his hair back, yanking his head along. Kita was staring into the camera of a phone. Through the pain, Kita tried to take a look at his attacker, but the other man was smart enough to wear a mask. Only his eyes were visible, and they were filled with amusement. 

“You’re a smart one, aren’t you? On your knees crying and you still want to see if you know me. Short answer; you don’t. But you pissed the hell out of some people, and they just want some payback. That’s it,” Kita’s assailant shrugged, like it was no big deal, like someone asked him where he wanted to eat for lunch. 

“Yo, let’s get outta here! You got the video, right? Let’s go, there’s someone coming!” Another new voice spoke up somewhere behind them, on the other side of the bridge. Kita realized faintly that his assailant had company, someone who was a lookout then. 

A sigh from the masked man, who pocketed his phone. He lifted his boot from Kita’s wrist, and the third year breathed in relief. “Well, I guess this is where we part ways, Kita Shinsuke-san. I’d love to rough you up some more and see what other pitiful faces you can make, but I have to go now,” His assailant grabbed his chin and tapped his cheek condescendingly, “take care, okay?”

Just like that, they were both gone, leaving Kita on the cold, damp ground. He sat up slowly, as not to aggravate his injuries, and cradled his wrist close. It was definitely sprained now. He stared at his belongings lying a few meters away, untouched by the two foreign men. They didn’t attempt to take his phone or wallet. 

Kita realized absently that he was just targeted and assaulted, and he would have to make a report to the police about it.

* * *

The ‘someone’ that had sent his two assailants running before getting caught was Tarou Oomi, a chicken farmer that the Kita family was familiar with. After all, sometimes, his rambunctious rooster would escape Tarou’s yard and invade the fields nearby, including the Kita family’s fields. He also used to be a basketball coach for Inarizaki High, and often talked Kita’s ear off about the ‘good ol’ basketball days’. 

But as Kita limped out from under Muko River’s bridge, his dirtied belongings in hand, with muddied pants, he was grateful to see Tarou. Tarou’s eyes widened and the older man came running towards Kita. “Shinsuke-kun, are ya alright? what happened? Did ya fall down the riverbank?!” he asked, helping Kita hobble towards the bridge’s railing to lean against and rest.

“... No, Tarou-san, two men attacked me. They dragged me beneath the bridge,” Kita replied, trying to keep his voice even. He leaned against the bridge’s wooden post, trying to calm himself down. His heart was still beating very fast from the adrenaline rush he had, and his knees were shaking. His wrist protested with every little movement. Kita knew he was lucky for getting away with so little. If Tarou was not in the vicinity, he would have suffered worse injuries if the two culprits had more time. 

“Did they rob ya?” Tarou asked, panic apparent in his voice.The old farmer’s hands were gripping Kita’s shoulders tightly, and Kita could see the fear in his eyes. It was valid, since their town was relatively small and safe, and almost everyone knew each other. Things like this did not happen here. Tarou’s alarm helped Kita calm down. His captain’s instincts leaped out, similar to when he saw the team’s newbies agitated at their very first match. 

“No,” Kita shook his head, “my things’re safe.” Kita could have said more to the older man, about how he was a target. Someone wanted revenge, and asked the two men to rough him up. But he knew it was better to refrain talking about that, lest he wanted to scare the whole town since Tarou would definitely alert all the other residents. He needed to talk to the police, and he needed to talk to them as soon as possible while his memory was still fresh from the assault. “I’m gonna have to contact the police, make a report. Thanks fer yer concern, Tarou-san.” Kita dipped his head.

“Should we go to my place to clean ya up? My place is closer than yours. Then ya can call the cops,” Tarou offered. Kita very much wanted to clean himself up. His knees were skinned and he was sure they were bleeding underneath his trousers. There was dirt in his fingernails, and his wrist needed to be looked at. But maybe it was better to stay there and call the cops immediately. Maybe they could find any clue as to who the suspects were, although Kita very much doubted it. 

“Thank you, Tarou-san, but s’okay. I think it’s best if I just call ‘em now and settle things,” Kita replied, fishing for his phone from his bag gingerly with his good hand. Thankfully, it was his non-dominant left wrist that was injured. 

“Then I’ll stay here with ya till they come. There’re strength in numbers and all that, y’know,” Tarou said firmly. Kita made a note that he should be more lenient on Tarou’s rowdy rooster in future, as well as repay the farmer with some vegetables from their garden. 

After Kita had called the nearest police station, he didn’t have to wait long before two officers in a police car arrived at Muko River. No one had passed by the area since then, and Kita was secretly grateful at that fact since they could try to limit the incident as much as possible, instead of throwing everyone into a frenzy. The police took down his details and scouted the area under the bridge as well as along the riverbanks nearby, but nothing else was found.  
“Unfortunately, there’s nothin’,” the leading officer sighed, “I’m sorry ya had to go through that whole ordeal. If you’ll follow us to the station, we’ll get a full report, and get ya cleaned up and looked at. Yer hand needs some medical attention.”

“Ya need me to follow you, Shinsuke-kun? I’m done with all my errands for the day, so it’s no problem,” Tarou fretted, as the officers led Kita into the car. 

“Thank you again for all yer help, Tarou-san, but I’ll be fine. I’ll message my oba-san soon just to let her know. I don’t want everyone gettin’ too worried - I was prob’ly at the wrong place at the wrong time,” Kita assured him. With that, the officers drove off, and Kita prepared himself for another round of questioning. At Muko River itself, the police didn’t ask any invasive questions and just kept strictly to the details of the incident. Kita mentioned that his assaulters did say things, but with Tarou hanging around anxiously, it was hard to go into detail, and that did not go unnoticed by the two officers. 

At the police station, they brought Kita into a more private room. There, a medical professional cleaned and disinfected his knees, as well as wrapped up his sprained wrist. Then the leading officer from Muko River came in with his partner to get more information from the report. 

“‘M glad to see yer all taken care of. Now, I think there were some things ya couldn’t say in front of Tarou Oomi-san?” The officer asked, straight to the point, which Kita appreciated. 

Kita nodded. “Yeah… I mentioned there were two men. One of them was jus’ the lookout, while the other was the one doin’ all the hittin’. Neither of them spoke in Kansai dialect. He said that I made someone angry, and they were sent to get payback on me. He was also recordin’ me on video with his phone,” Kita said lowly, and for the first time in his life, it was hard to meet any of the officers’ eyes. Kita was no stranger to eye contact in his daily life; he preferred it because it got his point across without any miscommunication. But at that moment, Kita felt ashamed although he knew he shouldn’t be. 

Kita felt ashamed because he was assaulted, and he was probably followed by the two assailants without him realizing it. He was ashamed because logically, they must have targeted him some time ago before waiting for the right opportunity to strike. He was embarrassed because he couldn't help but think if he was just a bit more careful, a bit more alert… maybe he wouldn’t have pissed someone off so bad that they sent people to beat him up. His pain was _recorded_. Someone was _enjoying_ his terror. His assaulter had grabbed his face and told him that he was attractive, even when his face was contorted in fear and pain. But Kita kept that all to himself. 

If he told the officers what he felt, he might be sick. So he kept quiet. But there was something else. Something he had realized, and had mulled over in the police car. Every detail mattered, right?

“Is there anything else you remember? That could help us?” The second officer asked, voice gentle, as if she could sense Kita’s inner turmoil.

“Yeah, there was somethin’…” Kita said, his own throat dry with dread as he voiced out the words, “The man who grabbed me, he used his left hand. He was missin’ his little finger.” His voice was low, afraid that anyone who passed the room could hear. Because if the peaceful town’s residents got wind about this the wrong way, there would be panic in the streets. Even when Kita said it out loud, he desperately wished it wasn’t true. The two officers looked even more serious, lips in a thin straight line. 

Because it was common knowledge that missing a little finger on your left hand usually meant that you may have committed yubitsume, ‘finger shortening’. 

...A tradition deeply entrenched within the yakuza.


	2. How it Crests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The police believe that Kita was targeted, but it was a high possibility that it was a one-time thing, maybe caused by a grudge between highschoolers. The Kita household will be put under observation, and word spreads through the town and Inarizaki High like wildfire. Disruption after disruption occurs and affects Kita's routine. He tries to take it well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, readers! I know I was going to cap this fic at two chapters but I couldn't help it. I'm on a ROLL here and there are so many juicy details to write. This chapter is longer than the first one, so kick back and relax, and I hope you enjoy! I'm going to cross state borders because of a family emergency, so I'll be gone for a bit, so I thought it'd be good to post this and go. No numbered notes this time, but feel free to reach out for any clarification needed, okay? ENJOY. Love, Deenowr

The man and woman officer who was in charge of Kita introduced themselves as Sergeants Okuda and Takanashi respectively, once it was clear that Kita’s case was more complicated than a typical ‘harass and run’. Both police sergeants had left the room for quite some time now, most probably to discuss the unfortunate turn of events with more higher ups, now that the word ‘yakuza’ was being introduced. 

Kita was given some tea and rice crackers to occupy himself. He cradled the steaming cup of green tea close, lulled by its familiar aroma, but left the plate of snacks untouched. Almost three hours had passed since the incident, and the last meal he had was during recess at school, which was a long time ago. But he wasn’t hungry. He used the time alone to message his grandmother, followed by Aran. He told them a shortened version of the event; basically, how he was ambushed and roughed up, and how he suffered no major injuries and was filing a report at the police station. He told Aran that he won’t be able to make it to their promised study session. 

Kita hoped that word about his assault would not spread and cause panic amongst the residents… But taking into consideration Tarou-san’s personality, he would definitely have talked about the issue with some others. Kita couldn’t blame him, since he did not know Kita was targeted specifically. For all Tarou-san knew, the culprits were still lurking around, hoping to ambush and beat the living daylights out of another poor random person. 

A few more minutes passed before the two sergeants stepped in again, this time, with an older man clad in uniform and a stern, regal air about him. “Thank you for your patience, Kita-san. I am Inspector Takahashi, and I lead one of the investigations regarding the recent Yamaguchi-gumi migrations from Amagasaki.” 

“We won’t sugarcoat it, the fact that a yakuza member was the one sent after you is indeed worrying news. As you may already know, recently, the members of Yamaguchi-gumi are being detained for questioning about the murder of the konbini owner in Amagasaki… the crackdown of police on the yakuza gang has made some of them flee the city into areas nearby. It is possible that your attackers are associated with that group,” he said gravely.

“Usually, those who are targeted may have been involved with the yakuza at some point, and something went sour,” Sergeant Takanashi spoke next, “although there may be yakuza groups who reel in high school students, the yamaguchi-bushi branch are not known to get involved with highschoolers. And with your records, we agree it is unlikely that you have ever associated yourselves with them and warranted any kind of attention… this could be a one-time thing, Kita-san, but to ensure your safety, we deem it best to dispatch a member of the police guard to be stationed at your area of residence.” she finished.

Ah. Kita expected that. As much as he was discomfited at the thought of having a police officer stand vigilant at his grandmother’s place, he knew it was the best decision, bearing in mind that as of now he had a bright red target painted on his back. “I understand. Thank you for your hard work,” Kita said, bowing his head low. 

“Sergeants Okuda and Takanashi will send you home now, and will have a word with your guardian… which I understand is your grandmother, whom you live with? It would be advisory for both you and your grandmother to revise your plans for the day and remain at home. We have dispatched a few of our men and women at Muko River as well as the residential areas nearby, but it is best for you to be at home now with an officer in the vicinity,” Inspector Takahashi stated. 

Kita nodded in affirmation, glad he had messaged Aran about his non-attendance for their study hangout earlier. He couldn’t wait to reach the safe confines of his home, already emotionally and mentally exhausted by the whole ordeal. It was out of character for himself, but all Kita wanted to do was shut down and fall into bed, and although it was whimsical to hope this was all just a simple nightmare that could be chased off by daylight, he couldn’t help but wish that he could sleep and forget everything, albeit temporarily. 

He messaged Yumie about cancelling her plans on the ride home. It was late on a Friday after all, and Yumie, the more sociable Kita family member between the two of them, often had plans with her friends and their neighbours. Not for the first time that day, Kita felt a twinge of guilt and hoped that his grandmother wouldn’t feel too burdened. Kita was also rarely bothered by the thoughts of other people, but in the police car on the way home, even without the blaring of the sirens, Kita was too ashamed to look out the window, in fear of meeting the gazes of the other townsfolk, if there were any around. He felt like it was his fault that security around town would increase again, and unease would settle amongst the people. 

Sergeant Okuda caught the highschooler’s eye through the rearview mirror. “It’s not your fault any of this happened, I hope you understand that. Many crimes happen because there are just people who want to do bad things. So don’t blame yourself, Kita-san,” he said. Kita wasn’t sure what to say to that, but he knew that the policeman was right. So he nodded wordlessly. That was all he could do most in the past few hours, anyway.

When the police car finally pulled up at his house, Kita Yumie was waiting outside, an uncharacteristically worried look on her face. She was someone who had a stout belief in the kami and their protection, and was usually a very cheerful person, humming whilst cleaning. When she took on guardianship upon her three grandchildren, even with the stark absence of her late husband, she was not easily swayed by the hardships and was always cheerful, always smiling. Kita felt another pang of guilt.

His grandmother hugged him tightly when he was out of the car, weathered old hands trembling slightly. “Shin-chan, I was so worried. Yer message was so short… Tarou-san came knockin’ and told me everythin’. But yer okay now, and that’s all that matters t’me. Oh, I don’t know what I would’ve done if somethin’ worse happened t’you.” Yumie’s voice was muffled as she buried her head into her grandson’s chest. 

“I’m sorry I worried ya, Oba-san. I didn’t wanna say too much on the phone because I thought it’d be better if I told ya straight on,” Kita replied, trying to keep his voice even. Seeing his grandmother shaken only helped enforce the reality of the situation… which wasn’t a kind one. And since his grandmother only knew a simplified version of Kita’s assault and was already like this, he tried not to think too hard once the truth was revealed. 

“Thank you for all yer hard work, Officers. Please come in for a cup of tea and some snacks, I have ‘em all ready. I was notified that there were some things that need addressin’?” Yumie asked, bowing respectfully towards the two members of the police force. 

“Ah, you didn’t have to do that! But yes, we do have some private matters to discuss with you, concerning both you and your grandson’s safety. It won’t take too long, but it is important as we need your agreement before we proceed,” Sergeant Takanashi said.

If Yumie was confused at the seriousness present in the sergeant’s tone, she did well in hiding it, and instead graciously invited them into the house. “...I see. Well, please come in and make yerself at home. It’s just me and Shin-chan and the animals in the barn, so we can talk in private all we need.”

* * *

After Sergeants Takanashi and Okuda explained the situation in detail to Yumie, the silence present in the living room where they were all sat felt slightly jarring. It was usually quiet in the Kita household, interrupted maybe by the whistling of Yumie’s old kettle or the buzzing of the television, or even the soft humming of Yumie as she worked. Kita enjoyed the quiet. He learned to appreciate it with a fervor, especially when the Miya twins began appearing in volleyball club meetings in their first year. But this time, Kita found the silence suffocating.

Yumie broke the silence with a small hum.“Thank you for the information, and all the safety precautions the police are carryin’ out for our safety. We will try our best to make your work easier.”

“Thank you for understanding,” Sergeant Takanashi replied, and there was more than a hint of relief in her tone, “We will do our best to keep you both safe. Again, it is a high possibility that this is just a one-time thing, but it is in all of our best interests to be alert. A police officer who will start off the guarding shift will be here soon. Thank you for the tea - we have taken much of your time, so we will take our leave now.”

Sure enough, a middle-aged officer arrived shortly and greeted them, introducing himself as Officer Yokoyama. The two members of the Kita household bade farewell to the two sergeants, and Yumie busied herself by insisting that Officer Yokoyama filled himself up with tea and snacks before he started his shift. Kita made to help his grandmother who was puttering around in the kitchen, but she blocked the kitchen entrance. “Shin-chan, you help me all the time. You’ve had a long day, so go clean up and rest now. And don’t ya usually have study sessions with Ojiro-kun today? Go call ‘im so he doesn’t worry,” she said. 

Kita knew better than to argue with his grandmother. He thanked her and made his way into his bedroom. She was right, anyway. He was itching to take a shower because his clothes were still dirty from his earlier tumble near the muddy banks of Muko River. Since his left hand was out of commission, he would need to take things slower than normal, even if it was his non-dominant hand. Once Kita reached his room, he charged his phone and looked at the number of messages that popped in.

****

**Today 1:40 PM  
Kita Shinsuke  
Aran, I don’t think I’ll be able to attend our study session later. I was assaulted on the way home, and I’m currently at the police station making a report. No major injuries, don’t worry.**

**Today 3:00 PM  
Ojiro Aran  
SHINSUKE I JUST ENDED CLASS & SAW YOUR MESSAGE R YA OK**

**1 missed call from Ojiro Aran**

**Today 3:02 PM  
Ojiro Aran  
I tried to call you but I’m guessing you’re busy at the police station. Oh God, Shin, I’m so sorry. I should’ve walked home with you. I’m not going to spam your phone with messages because you’re probably still with the police… but CALL ME PLS**

**Today 3:27 PM  
Oomimi Ren  
Shin, Tarou-san was at the super market just now and said you got attacked?? You’re with the police now??? Is that true or was Tarou-san exaggerating again?**

**Today 3:30 PM  
Oomimi Ren  
Shinsuke, I asked a policewoman nearby and she confirmed it… I’m so sorry, Shin, I really hope you’re ok. I know you’ll probably say you had worse injuries through volleyball, and that may be true but how are you feeling? Look inside yourself and analyse that pls**

**Today 3:35 PM  
Akagi Michinari  
SHIN, REN AND ARAN TOLD ME WHAT HAPPENED - R U OK??? Shin, I’m sorry if you find this disrespectful, but you have a way of shutting down your feelings, WHICH IS BAD. Please prepare yourself to grow closer to us, ok? We will c u soon**

****

Kita couldn’t help the small amused smile that tugged at his lips. The group chat labelled ‘Inarizaki Third Years VBC’ was void of any messages, but he didn’t doubt that his three friends had probably communicated and combined efforts to bombard him with messages. 

However, it was worrying that Oomimi heard the news from Tarou-san at the market store. Kita knew that Tarou would spread the news around, and if he didn’t, either the police were going to alert the residents or people would catch on the the increased police surveillance and discovered it themselves. 

Kita didn’t know how to feel about people outside of his immediate friend group knowing about the assault done upon him… but it was for the safety of everyone, even if the fact left a bitter aftertaste in Kita’s mouth. Before Kita left his phone to shower and get rid of all the dirt, he sent them a quick message in their group chat. 

**  
Inarizaki Third Years VBC**

**Today 4:40 PM  
Kita Shinsuke  
Sorry for the late message, am at home now. Police just left. Need to shower badly. We can call later? Sorry for the worry.  
**

Kita managed to release some of the tension he felt as he went through the familiar movements of cleaning himself up almost mechanically. Oomimi had called Kita’s slight obsession with cleaning his ‘rituals’. While his grandmother was always mindful of cleanliness and other acts because of her devout belief in the kami, Kita cleaned and organized because the motions helped ground him. Aran always told him he was prone to overthinking; in volleyball games, he would predict which serve Atsumu was going to perform, he would predict his opponent’s next move… cleaning helped him calm down and stay focused.

When he was getting dressed in his bedroom mirror, he looked over the injuries he had accumulated. His wrist was still wrapped up and quite painful, but it would get better over time. His side, however, looked uglier than before as he scrutinized it. The medical professional at the police station had wrapped it after applying some ointment to accelerate the recovery process. But in his bedroom’s light, the bluish-black splotch of the bruise contrasted terribly with his pale skin. He added more ointment to his side and knees. After many years of playing volleyball, physical injuries like that didn’t phase him anymore, but the pain was always unpleasant. 

Kita was just slipping his shirt on, when Yumie’s voice called from downstairs, “Shin-chan! Are ya done cleanin’ yerself up? We have some visitors!”

Visitors? Kita took a quick look at the time. It was nearing 6 pm, and from their discussion with the police, both him and his grandmother had curfews to keep to while under observation. They didn’t really discuss visitors, although Kita had assumed it was best not to have anyone over. But if the visitors were already there, and Officer Yokoyama said nothing about it… Kita sighed internally, and hoped his grandmother hadn’t bribed the officer to allow visitors over. It could be one of the neighbours, maybe to check in on them, like old Minami-san. Whoever it was, Kita was raised to be polite even if he wasn’t in the mood. When he stepped into the living room, however, he was pleasantly met with three familiar faces, his grandmother beaming at him. 

“Shinsuke, we’re here to study! We brought wagashi too,” Aran greeted.

* * *

When Kita saw the faces of his fellow third years, he had no doubt that they weren’t going to be doing any studying. Of course, they had books and notes and stationeries with them, and they were all set out neatly in Kita’s bedroom, ready to be used but Kita saw the secret looks his friends shared. Especially between Akagi and Oomimi, Aran was better at schooling his facial expressions when he had to. 

He knew his friends only had his well-being concerned, so he decided to make it easier for them. “Ya know… after all the messages you guys were sendin’ me, I knew you’d be plannin’ fer a visit, but I didn’t expect it to be so soon,” Kita admitted. He saw the worry reflected in their eyes as he settled down on his study chair slowly as not to aggravate his tender side. 

“Shinsuke, we can’t hear all that and _not_ fight our way into yer house to see you!” Akagi, the most passionate among them as always, burst out. 

“You fought yer way in?” Kita asked, eyebrows raised.

“We’d never, ya know that!” Aran.

“I mean, there was nothin’ _physical_ but I got a bit into it…” Akagi.

“We didn’t fight, but one of us argued with Officer Yokoyama, who is undoubtedly just a good law enforcer doing his job, so that someone most probably won’t be able to come visit you alone in future,” Oomimi explained, not hiding that the ‘someone’ mentioned was their libero. 

“I see…” Kita trailed off. Then, “Thank you. Fer comin’ all the way t’see me. I appreciate it.” He dipped his head low.

There was a heavy silence. Aran broke it with a loud groan, rubbing at his eyes. “Shin, yer gonna make us all cry. Make up for it by tellin’ us everything. No internalizin’ _anything_!”

Kita told them everything, scrounging up even minor details from the assault as best as he can. He disliked recounting the event, because repeating it only filled himself with more shame and embarrassment. But his three friends knew he had a habit of keeping things to himself. They had come all the way to make sure he was alright. The least he could do was tell them everything he remembered, sparing no details, because Kita trusted them. On the court and now, off the court, Aran, Ren and Michinari had earned his trust and he needed to pay them in return. And, Kita reminded himself, four heads were better than just one. If his friends knew the whole picture, they would be able to point out things even he didn’t notice. 

“The yakuza are dirty cowards. That guy was a full-grown adult and he saw nothin’ wrong with attackin’ a minor? What a bastard,” Akagi muttered mutinously. 

“I’m glad the police are being proactive. It’s good that you’ll have an officer stationed. But I also hope they’ll manage to find the people behind this. Someone wanted to hurt you, Shinsuke… and I don’t know anyone who could be so affected by you that they made you a target.” Oomimi said honestly. 

Aran was quiet. There was an uncomfortable look on his face, which Kita knew. It often appeared in serious situations, like when Atsumu had a terrible fight with Osamu about going professional in volleyball. That look meant Aran had something accurate and wise to say, but he was also a person mindful of others’ feelings and would tread cautiously. 

“What do you think, Ojiro?” Kita prompted.

Aran chewed on his lip. “Well… Ren is right. I can’t think of anyone close to us who would do this. We’re all so busy balancing classes and club activities, so there’s no time for us to go out and - and ‘piss the hell’ out of someone, like that yakuza guy said. You barely go to the supermarket because you and your oba-san grow everythin’!” Aran said, exasperated. “So… so this could be wrong, but don’t ya think it could be someone from school? Or someone you had a run-in with because of school?”

Ah, there it is. Aran may not be in the highest class for their grade, but people often forget that there are different kinds of intelligence. And excelling in exams doesn’t mean you were smart in everything else. People say that Kita’s predictions of other people’s behaviours were scary, but Kita secretly thought Ojiro Aran was scarier than him. After all, if the rowdy Miya twins respected Aran without him resorting to fear tactics or seniority, it meant that he himself was a force to be reckoned with. 

“You’re saying a student went to the lengths of sending yakuza members for revenge against Shinsuke?” Oomimi asked, dismay in his tone.

“I could be wrong,” Aran said hastily, “but it’s somethin’ we should consider.”

“Aran, ya have a valid point. It’s not nice to think about, but it’s valid,” Akagi said seriously, “Inarizaki doesn’t have any gangster problems that we know of, because if it did, it’d be news all over the school. We’re also pretty far out in the countryside - but ever since the Yamaguchi-gumi gang fled Amagasaki, maybe someone got involved somehow.”

“What do you think, Shin?” Aran asked.

Kita studied his bandaged wrist. “That was somethin’ that crossed my mind… the fact that somebody in school wanted to beat me up. Maybe the yakuza disbanding from Amagasaki created an opportunity. I know that,” Kita swallowed, his mouth dry as he attempted to voice out the thought that buzzed angrily in his head, “I can be… cold. Regimented. I coulda hurt someone badly without thinkin’ and they want revenge for that.” _It’s my fault_ , Kita wanted to say, _I brought this upon myself_.

There was a beat of silence. And that. That happened a lot. Silence that was suffocating. It wasn’t quiet anymore, but it was too silent. Maybe Kita really was losing it, if he found silence noisy.

Aran was the first to speak up. “Shin, I don’t want to hear you say that again.” It would be a lie if Kita said he wasn’t slightly taken aback by his friend’s snappish sentence. 

“Yeah, never _think_ that again, if ya can help it,” Akagi sighed, “it’s so untrue that I can’t even laugh.”

“Shinsuke, there are evil people in this world, and they unfortunately often get away with a lot. Don’t let them get away by blaming yerself too,” Oomimi said unhappily. “There is no excuse for physical assault, if it’s not for self-defence. If anyone had a problem with you, they should have addressed it, instead of sending two adults after you.”

“...You’re right, I apologize for that,” Kita said, eyes still uncharacteristically downcast. He missed the looks the other three were exchanging. 

“Okay, I think your Oba-san is expecting us to study and cheer you up. If she walks in and sees us like this, we’re never gonna be able to come back. I’m already in that officer’s blackbook. So let’s get crackin', alright?” Akagi asserted, cracking his knuckles for emphasis. 

The atmosphere lightened up as they went through problems together, as well as finished Aran’s wagashi that Yumie brought up to Kita’s bedroom. Kita never ate in his room if he could help it, but his grandmother had insisted they finish the wagashi before she finished it all by herself in the kitchen, and that was that. 

It was close to 8 pm when they decided to call it a day. Kita walked them down, and his friends said goodbye and thanked his grandmother for her hospitality. At the house’s genkan, Oomimi and Akagi were talking to Yumie as they put on their shoes. Aran, on the other hand, discreetly left the conversation and turned to Kita.There was another conflicted look on Aran’s face, and Kita cocked his head in question. 

“I’m sorry about not walking you home today,” Aran blurted out. “This wouldn’t have happened if we walked together, and if I could - if I could repeat that all over again, I would have walked you all the way home.” The taller male’s fists were clenched, and he looked like he was on the verge of tears. Kita was glad that his grandmother and the other two were occupied.

“It would have happened either way, Aran. I was bein’ targeted. If they didn’t get me today, they would’ve tomorrow, when I was out joggin’ in the morning or somethin’, and that would’ve been more dangerous because no one would’ve been around,” Kita said gently.

When it seemed like Aran wouldn’t believe him, Kita gripped his friend’s shoulder with his good hand. “Y’know how ya said I shouldn’t be thinkin’ that I deserved it?” Kita said unflinchingly, “Let’s make an exchange then. I don’t blame myself, and you don’t blame yerself either.”

That seemed to do the trick, because Aran nodded. “...That’s a good deal, Shin. I’ll hold ya to it. Don’t be a stranger, okay? I’m still havin’ problems with Japanese literature, and I’m hopin’ you’ll help me when I message you tomorrow about them,” he said thickly.

“Always,” Kita said smoothly, and accepted the careful hug Aran pulled him into.

That night, Kita tried his best to practice what he promised his friends, and dispel negative thoughts from his mind. It wasn’t too hard to fall asleep, his body and mind exhausted from the day’s events and needing rest, and for that he was grateful.

The weekend passed by relatively normal, which was welcomed by both Shinsuke and Yumie. Kita busied himself with studying and replying to his friends’ messages. There were no articles about his assault, and Yumie told him that Inspector Takahashi had contacted her and said that the police were trying to sweep the whole town for yakuza activity, and didn’t want to scare off any stray members around, and the whole incident was kept on the down-low. Although, Kita thought wryly to himself, the police may not know exactly how fast news can spread via word of mouth. Tarou-san was sure to have spread the news to all corners of the town by now. But that was a worry for another day.

Yumie acted normal as well, singing quietly as she completed her chores about the house. It made it easier for Kita to relax and push the incident to the back of his mind. The only thing that was different was the new addition of the police car parked near their house, with Officer Yokoyama and another new officer who took turns keeping an eye on their house. That, along with Kita’s sprained wrist, which still felt swollen and painful to touch.

But as long as those were the only changes to his life, it was easy to forget and push on.

* * *

Monday was a challenge.

Kita expected it, of course, because even if the local news did not publish his run-in with yakuza gang members, Inarizaki High was full of teenagers who were still hovering at that age where they were hyper-aware about the ongoings of their peers, and were quick to pass on rumours down the vine without thinking of determining its truth. Just like most high schools. 

Although Kita was captain of the Inarizaki volleyball team, he did not garner much attention. After all, he wasn’t in the starting line-ups for actual matches. The second years, especially the Miya twins, had a fanbase of their own who were usually more focused on cheering on their favourite twin than the actual team. The Miya twins’ popularity made some of the junior members insecure with their own skills, but Kita was never bothered by the number of supporters he had. In fact, one cou  
ld even argue that Kita was more well-known as one of the top scorers amongst the third years, before volleyball was associated with him. It served him well, since he liked separating volleyball from classes, focusing on one at a time.

To accommodate his sprained wrist, Kita woke up earlier than normal so he didn’t have to rush to get ready. He was always one of the earliest students in school, using the time in class to look through his notes and prepare for the day’s classes. The Kita household normally started their day early, even before the rooster crowed, so it wasn’t a surprise to see his grandmother in the kitchen waiting to have breakfast with him.

“Be careful in school t’day, Shin-chan. Don’t pay others any mind. I’ll pray that the kami will look after you,” Yumie reminded him as they cleaned up together. 

“Thank you, Oba-san. I’ll be back once school ends. Aran and Ren are walkin’ me home today,” Kita said, hugging her goodbye. His grandmother’s arms wrapping around him were tighter than usual. 

On the way out of the house, Kita greeted a sleepy-looking Officer Yokoyama and handed him a bento box that his grandmother had made for the officer. Officer Yokoyama was insistent on sending Kita to school, but the police were short-handed and if the officer left, Yumie would be home alone. Kita had assured the officer that he would avoid using quiet routes like Muko River’s bridge, but the officer still seemed dissatisfied with the arrangement.

“Oh, thanks, Shinsuke-kun,” Officer Yokoyama said, voice muffled as he tried to cover up his yawn, “Ya really didn’t have to. I’ll be sure to thank yer oba-san. ‘Nyways, before I forget, there was a kid waitin’ for you here earlier. He’s from yer school, Inarizaki. Said he wanted t’walk with ya. He got a call, probably somethin’ private what with all that blushin’, and he answered it a bit further away down the road.”

Oh. Kita kept his expression neutral, although he wondered who it was. He really hoped it wasn’t Aran because Aran lived closer to Inarizaki, so he really was going out of his way to meet Kita early. “Thank you for tellin’ me, Yokoyama-san. I’ll be on my way now.”

Kita walked down the small dirt path that led the way from his house into the main road, where you could see the vast crop fields surrounding the houses. Since it was winter time, paddy was not being grown in the Kita family’s fields. Instead, wheatgerm and other more resilient crops took the space. Kita was not left wondering who the student was for long when he spotted the familiar mop of bleached blonde hair belonging to none other than Inarizaki’s second year setter. 

Miya Atsumu was busy typing aggressively on his phone, cheeks and nose pink from the cold morning. If Kita were to guess, it was likely that Atsumu was messaging his brother, because that pure look of irritation on his face contrary to his carefully-crafted public persona only appeared when Osamu was concerned. 

Kita walked up closer, and Atsumu whipped his head around to stare at his ex-captain. “Oh, uh, Kita-san! F-funny seein’ you around here. Yer goin’ to school, right? Wanna walk t’gether?” Miya Atsumu yelped, voice loud in the crisp Monday morning. He shoved his phone into his pocket and feigned a look of innocence. It didn’t work. It only further confirmed that Atsumu was the student Officer Yokoyama was referring to.

“...Officer Yokoyama said you were waitin’ fer me,” Kita said. It was difficult to understand Atsumu, at times, because he often did things Kita would never do. He could have just been honest and said he was waiting for Kita, instead of the lie that he didn’t know Kita lived nearby. Atsumu knew where he lived. The whole team knows. Kita dismissed all that, lest the poor boy has an aneurysm this early in the morning. 

“H-he did? Ugh, sorry, Kita-san, I just thought you’d appreciate the company,” Atsumu said, his cheeks turning redder. 

Kita decided to take it easy on his kouhai, especially since he could see that Atsumu was fighting the urge to yawn. He had prominent eyebags and there was no doubt that he was going to fall asleep in his classes that day. “Thank you, Atsumu,” Kita replied with a gracious nod, before walking along the road. 

When he realized that there wasn’t another pair of footsteps tailing him, he looked over his shoulder at Atsumu. “Comin’?”

Atsumu, who was staring at him with his mouth slightly agape, snapped out of it and nodded furiously. “Y-yeah!” He hurried to Kita’s side.

They fell into step together, and there was silence for a few minutes. Kita could feel Atsumu’s gaze on his sprained wrist. The boy was not that good at being discreet, especially when his captain was concerned. That was why it was so easy to catch him. After a few more minutes of ‘not-staring’ from Atsumu, and they had to wait for their turn to cross at a crosswalk, Kita turned to him.

“Atsumu, if ya have somethin’ to say, you should say it,” Kita said patiently. 

Atsumu flinched, and a look of guilt passed over his face. He cast an eye at the traffic light, and the pedestrian sign was still red, even though there were so few cars that they could risk it. He would’ve on any other day, but next to Kita, he didn’t dare. This was as good a time as any for Atsumu to ask his senpai how he was doing. “Kita-san… I heard, y’know, about the incident at Muko River. I wanted to message ya but ‘Samu told me you probably had a lot on yer plate. I was wonderin’ if you were okay,” Atsumu said, uncharacteristically soft. 

“Thank you fer yer concern,” Kita said, as the pedestrian signal turned green and they began to walk, “I’m doin’ alright. You met Officer Yokoyama this mornin’. He’ll be around to look after Oba-san and me. I was lucky that my injuries weren’t major. You probably heard that Tarou-san was there shortly, so that helped things out.”

“...Yer injuries aren’t too major, but they still hurt, right? Yer carryin’ yer school bag on yer other side today. Usually you sling yer back on yer right,” Atsumu said. Kita’s eyes widened slightly, surprised by the second year’s astute observation. The swelling of his side has reduced over the weekend, but it was still sore and the colour of the bruise hasn’t improved much.  
“I got kicked in the side. The bruise’ll fade in a few days,” Kita shrugged in explanation. Atsumu looked angry, his thick eyebrows furrowed. He seemed to walk a bit closer to Kita’s side after that as they lapsed into a more comfortable silence. They would reach Inarizaki in about five minutes. There were just a handful of zombie-like, groggy students who were headed in the same direction, paying the two no mind. 

“Kita-san, I have another question - and ya don’t have to answer if it’s dumb or somethin’. But I gotta know.” Atsumu took a deep breath, steeling himself. Kita hummed in response, indicating that Atsumu had his attention. “Is it true that the guys who - who came after you were yakuza members?”

Kita had already expected this question, and prepared for it over the weekend. Tarou-san wouldn’t have known that he was targeted by people involved with the yakuza; all he knew was that Kita was assaulted at Muko River Bridge, although he wasn’t robbed or anything. Tarou-san would most probably thought it was foolish young adults who wanted to harass any random person passing by at the wrong time. 

But there was an increase in police who weren’t local around the streets over the weekend, the Inarizaki third years had told him. It was also difficult to hide a police car and an officer who was around the Kita household all the time. The local community police were also more loose-lipped and closer to the residents compared to the police dispatched especially to handle the yakuza case, so it wasn’t hard to imagine that someone managed to wheedle out details from somewhere. 

Kita nodded. “The police said it’s likely they’re affiliated with the yakuza, yeah.” 

Atsumu’s eyes seemed to bug out of his head at Kita’s confirmation. “... So you’re still in danger, then? Do the - do the cops think they’re gonna come back?” Atsumus asked, voice wavering. Kita could almost hear Atsumu’s silent question, as the taller boy’s eyes bored into the side of his face. 

“It’s unlikely. The police said there’s a higher possibility it’s just a one-time thing. It’s uncommon for yakuza to attack high schoolers, but they just wanna be on the safe side,” Kita said. He looked at Atsumu as they trudged up the last hill that would lead to Inarizaki’s school gates. Atsumu didn’t look comforted by Kita’s words. His fists tightened on the straps of his own school bag tightly. 

Kita couldn’t help but notice that although he looked dead on his feet, Atsumu had taken great pains in correcting his usual school attire mistakes that Kita used to point out. His hair was swept back in a neater fashion, his school attire was crisp and ironed, and he was wearing his backpack with both straps instead of just one. The fact that Atsumu would have to make a slight detour to get to Kita’s house before going to Inarizaki meant he woke up even earlier than normal, especially if it was to get to Kita’s house on time before his senpai left.

“Atsumu, there’s no use worryin’ about the past. It’s better to focus on the present. The police are tryin’ their best to help, and I’m bein’ careful. Don’t ya trust yer senpai?” Kita asked lightly.  
“I - of course I trust ya, Kita-san!” Atsumu spluttered, cheeks colouring again. “It’s the yakuza I don’t trust… Kita-san, Aran-kun wouldn’t tell me much, but I know you guys walk home t’gether. On days I don’t have volleyball, will ya let me join?” Atsumu looked hopeful, like a puppy begging its owner for a treat.

Kita met his gaze with an unreadable look. “Even if I say no, you’ll still do it, won’t ya.” 

Atsumu looked sheepish but didn’t disagree. They were almost at the school gates and would part ways for their classes soon.

“Okay. But ya gotta make sure it doesn’t interfere with club practices. Ojiro, Oomimi and Akagi are already accompanyin’ me home, so there’s more than enough people to avoid trouble.”

“Kita-san, it ain’t just about strength in numbers and all that… it’s the thought that counts, right? Yer Inarizaki’s captain, still am, in my eyes. If anythin’ were to happen after this and I didn’t try to stop it, then I’m just trash, don’t ya think?” Atsumu said. For the first time in their conversation that morning, his tone was steady and he seemed sure of himself. Kita could see the glimpse of Atsumu as a third year, strong and confident and skilled… and hopefully, less arrogant. 

Atsumu didn’t wait for Kita’s reply as they entered the school gates.“Well, it was nice walkin’ with ya, Kita-san! ‘Samu helped wake me up so I gotta sweep his desk for ‘im today - but I’ll see ya later during break time!” With that, the whirlwind that is Miya Atsumu ran off. Kita could see there were a few students looking at the infamous blonde Miya twin curiously, surprised to see him present so early. It was no secret that although the Miya twins were in time for classes (Osamu alway was, anyway), they were never the earliest.

None of the students who came early stared at him, probably too deep in their own depression and sleepiness, so Kita made his way to Class 7 without any trouble. There, he sat down and started flipping through notes. He was the earliest in class, as always, but sometimes some of the environmental club students who were in charge of watering the plants around school that day would be there already. After a while, some of them entered class but they merely greeted him and went about their own devices. The normalcy of the situation helped release a tension that Kita wasn’t aware he was holding. 

“Mornin’, Shinsuke. How’s your wrist doing?” Oomimi asked when he arrived about half an hour later. He set his bag down and settled into his desk that was next to his friend’s. 

“Mornin’, Ren. It’s improvin’. I just have t’be careful,” Kita replied. 

“That’s good. Also, did Atsumu walk with you today? He was askin’ for your address on Sunday night because he said he wanted to walk you to school. Knowing his bad sleeping habits, I guessed he wouldn’t make it - but I heard his voice in the second year’s Class 2,” Oomimi said casually. 

Kita fought the urge to roll his eyes, not that he ever would, because it wasn’t polite. But honestly, the Inarizaki volleyball’s third years loved poking fun at Atsumu’s obvious respect and slight infatuation with the captain. When Atsumu first joined the team, he respected Kita like he would any other senior, but he and Osamu were only close to Aran as they knew each other from young. In fact, Atsumu often complained about Kita-san’s cold attitude and stern personality when he thought Kita wasn’t within earshot. However, ever since the day Kita had left the ‘get well’ basket for Atsumu in the locker room, the blonde boy had grown almost shy around Kita, and listened to him well, all traces of rebellion gone, replaced with fear. Kita had wondered why, taken aback at the hundred eighty degree change in the setter.

_  
”I think he’s into kuudere people,” Akagi had pointed out during lunch. Aran started choking on his food._

_“What do you mean by that?” Kita asked, rubbing Aran’s back and handing him wet tissues, which were gratefully accepted._

_“You see what you’re doing now?” Oomimi asked. “You’re expressionless as always, but you’re very caring. Which is good. A real kuudere.”_

_“A total kuudere.” Akagi affirmed.  
_

“Yeah, he was waitin’ fer me,” Kita said shortly. He studiously ignored the interested hum Oomimi emitted, returning to his notes as they waited for their homeroom teacher to enter class.

Classes went on like normal, and Kita was glad for that. His classmates would come up from time to time and ask if he was doing alright, and if he needed any help, and that they would pray for his speedy recovery. Even then, they didn’t surround him and bombard him with questions, which was a blessing. Kita didn’t really want to relieve the incident on Friday if he could help it. Some of his teachers also made sure to ask if he needed anything privately, to which Kita declined but thanked them. He had worse injuries from volleyball, so the sprained wrist he sported wasn’t anything terrible for him.

It was during their break specifically, that things started going downhill. 

In Inarizaki High, all three of the different years would have recess at the same time. Kita was well-known amongst the third years, and was one of the top scorers who was popularly approached for help in academic studies since he was patient in helping his peers solve problems. As such, his own year treated him with respect and treated him like they would any other day. Studying to the point of driving yourself into depression for the college entrance exams helped put things into perspective for most of the seniors. However, the juniors of Inarizaki, the first and second years, were not subtle in their stares and whispers.

Kita clutched his bento box tightly in his good hand and headed straight to the table they always occupied as a group, keeping his gaze on his destination. He was grateful to see that Aran and Akagi were already there. That day, Oomimi did not bring packed food and joined the line of students purchasing their lunch. When he sat down, a group of second years at a table behind Aran stared at him. He met their gazes head-on until they looked away, whispering.

Akagi stopped slurping his ramen for a moment and turned around. “Wow, it’d be real nice if y’all stopped talkin’ about us and let yer senpai have lunch in peace,” he said loudly, a cheerful grin on his face but his voice dripping in sarcasm. The whispering stopped immediately. Akagi turned around and continued eating, this time with more gusto. Aran looked bemused but shrugged it off. Usually, Akagi was the friendliest amongst them four, so it was surprising to see him snap first. 

“Itadakimasu,” Kita said, before digging into his own bento. After eating with Kita for almost three years, his friends learned not to engage him in conversation much, because he would spend time chewing, swallowing, and wiping his mouth before giving his own input. So Kita slipped into a comfortable space as he chewed and listened to Aran and Akagi discuss Aran’s recent concern about the average period of time an underwear was still considered wearable without bordering on extreme frugality.

The peace was disrupted when a regretful Oomimi arrived with his food and four trouble-making second year volleyball players in tow. His eyes sent his friends a silent apology as he settled down. _I couldn’t keep them away, I tried, sorry_ was what his dead stare said. 

“Kita-san! I hope ya don’t mind, but we were thinkin’ of joinin’ ya for today. We, uh, have some volleyball strategies we wanted yer opinion on,” Atsumu said brightly. If he noticed the stares in his direction, he was doing a good job ignoring them. Then again, Atsumu was like a celebrity in Inarizaki High, so maybe he was just used to it. 

“...’S a bit early, don’t ya think? The volleyball season is over fer the year,” Kita deadpanned, after swallowing and dabbing at his mouth. Osamu smirked smugly at his twin, while Suna sniggered. 

Ginjima, who may be taking over Aran’s role as peacemaker soon, palmed at his face tiredly. He seemed to take pity on Atsumu and was probably itching to just sit down and eat before recess was over, so he said, “Atsumu missed ya, Kita-san. He wanted to spend time with his senpai, so we thought it’d be good to join in fer old times’ sake. Hope that’s alright,” Ginjima said. Which, okay, was honest. But he needed to do better if he was going to bring peace in the future Inarizaki volleyball club. Atsumu had turned an interesting shade of red and was spluttering vehemently, but didn’t deny it.

None of the third years could say anything to that, and since the four second years were already blocking traffic in between the canteen tables, the second years settled themselves down, albeit noisily. Osamu still ate to the point of choking, while Suna riled Atsumu up from time to time, and Ginjima just accepted his fate. After that, if there were any stares and whispers directed at their table, Kita would not have realized any of them, too intent on listening to Atsumu gabbing between chews and correcting his eating habits sternly.

Once Kita was done eating and there was roughly ten minutes left of their break time, he excused himself to the restrooms. He was trying to wash his good hand thoroughly with soap when a few rowdy juniors came in, cackling and jostling each other. There were about five of them, and they stopped short when they saw Kita near the sinks. Normally, it was inherent in their school culture for Inarizaki juniors to be meeker and more polite to their seniors. As a junior, you don’t normally approach a senior in the rest rooms. 

However, maybe it was because they were all taller and more obviously built than Kita regardless of their younger age, or maybe it was because rumours surrounding Kita have been flitting around the junior members of the school, making Kita seem… no longer as untouchable as before. Because one of them, the leader probably since he had a confident air about him, approached Kita. His shaved haircut added to his punkish looks. 

“Kita-san… right?” he asked, hands in his pocket and back hunched as if to reach Kita’s level. 

Kita dried his hand and looked at him, saying nothing. A short way behind the junior, his gaggle of friends were watching the attempted exchange in interest. That probably gave the younger boy more pressure to perform in whatever it was they were having. Kita felt slight pity towards him. Some people just always felt the need to conform. 

“Ya know, my uncle’s one of the community police - I heard ‘bout the yakuza guys beatin’ you up good. Glad to see yer safe and sound now,” The boy began, his tone mocking, “It was real surprisin’ because yer one of the school’s golden darlins, y’know? Good at studies, good at club stuff… it gets tirin’ hearin’ teachers sing praises ‘bout you, but I get it, y’know?”

The boy moved closer, trying to intimidate his shorter senior. Kita stared apathetically back. He was so close, Kita could see the slight gap in his middle teeth. “What I don’t get is that ya get extra security, but none of us do! I heard ya have an officer at yer house, right? And freakin’ Miya Atsumu walked ya to school very early this mornin’, and he’s a slob. I guess I just don’t get why yer gettin’ all this special treatment when because of you, we have yakuza invadin’ _our_ space now!” The junior student’s voice rises to a crest.

There were other students who were trying to enter the restroom, but the echo of the accusation as it bounced through the walls of the toilet stilled them, indicating that there was conflict inside and it was best not to be involved. 

Kita kept his eye contact with the student, keeping his features unreadable. It was clear that the junior student felt a lot of bitterness, even before this whole yakuza incident, judging by the contents of his spiel. But there were also a lot of things the student glazed over, like the fact Kita worked to get where he was, or the fact that he didn’t do anything to any yakuza-related members to warrant the scuffle on Friday. The student was being selfish, but Kita knew that he was a representative of many. There are many, Kita knew, of those who felt for the Kita household in these trying times, but there are also those who’d rather the victims left so that everyone else would not have to worry. 

“I’m sorry that our town’s safety is bein’ affected, but that’s not somethin’ I can help. If I was in yer situation, I’d probably be angry too, that an upperclassman is putin’ us all in danger, “ Kita said, his tone quiet but deafening in the restroom. “But I don’t agree that ya think I’m gettin’ some kinda special treatment. Yer uncle’s a policeman, right? Yer implyin’ that the police are playin’ favourites. They’re doin’ the best they can, as always, and you should trust ‘em more,” Kita finished, eyes unwavering. 

The younger student seemed taken aback at the reply. A flurry of emotions flitted through his face, first of surprise, then anger. It looked like he wasn’t used to people standing up to him so blatantly. He opened his mouth to say something, possibly a rebuke, but the small crowd that had gathered outside parted, revealing Aran and Oomimi who very much looked done, followed by an angry-looking Atsumu who resembled a dog that was going to lunge for a bite at any moment. 

“HEY, BALDY!” Atsumu screeched, before his more level-headed upperlcassmen could get a word edgewise. The blonde setter pointed a threatening finger in the junior’s direction. “Who d’you think y’are, runnin’ yer mouth like that?! Yer senpai got damn yakuza cowards comin’ after him _for no damn reason_ but ya can only worry about yer own skin. Yer trash!” he barked out, and the first year shrank into himself, no longer the big bad leader he was a few seconds ago. Atsumu was taller and more intimidating, and he also had a devout fanbase who would be out for blood.

“Atsumu, calm down, we’re here to defuse the situation, not make it worse,” Aran sighed, tugging Atsumu by his shirt’s collar. To the first year, he nodded in the direction of the entrance, “Use the toilet or get out.” That was enough to send the first year off. 

Oomimi joined Kita at the sink, and raised his eyebrows at the gaggle of inquisitive students hanging around. “Recess is almost over, if yer here to use the toilet, use it. If not, go back to class,” he ordered. Muttering amongst themselves, the crowd of students dispersed. 

True to Oomimi’s words, the recess bell rang shortly after. Kita twitched in frustration, feeling his mood worsen. He was always back in class before the bell rang. His punctuality was disrupted. For the first time in a long time, Kita felt like slamming something, hard - similar to the occasions when he spiked a volleyball into the opponent’s court. But this time, he wanted to do it harder, angrier. Kita whipped around towards the sink and started washing his good hand again, focusing on the cool water running through his fingers instead of the negative emotions penting up. 

“... Shin. Hey, look at me, please?” Aran’s voice was close and gentle. 

Kita dried his hand again and met his friend’s gaze. Oomimi and Atsumu were no longer there, leaving only him and Ojiro. At some point, they must have left, and Kita didn’t even realize it. 

“Ya need some time? Ren went back first, he’s tellin’ your next sensei that you’re not feeling so well. Oka-sensei is on sick leave today so my class has a free period. You want to… talk?” Aran offered. 

Kita pursed his lips. “No,” he said. When Aran looked crest-fallen, Kita hastened to add, “Thanks, Aran, but not now. I need t’focus on somethin’. Class will be good now.”

Aran understood. “Okay. No problem. Let’s head to class then.”  
Kita was grateful Aran didn’t push. His emotions were bewildering, and he was reminded of the time when he was given the Inarizaki volleyball jersey for number one. This time though, it felt like it was the opposite of an achievement.

* * *

The last few class periods helped Kita calm down. The college entrance exams as well as finals were both drawing near, so it was easy and familiar to slip into the headspace of memorizing and answering practice questions. It helped him forget reality. 

On the way back home from school, both Oomimi and Aran accompanied him home. Kita felt something resembling resentment burn at the back of his throat at the thought that he was being burdensome, but he pushed it down and tried to enjoy the companionship they provided. Atsumu joined them at the school gates, tagged along with his blank-looking brother. 

The Miya brothers squabbled over petty things the whole journey, but their senpai were so used to it that nothing disrupted the peaceful conversation they had, no matter how loud the twins were being. With the nice conversation provided by his friends, as well as the constant bickering provided by his kouhai, Kita didn’t have time to entertain his negative thoughts. The whole toilet incident was swept under the rug for the time being as well, but Kita knew from Aran’s watchful gaze, that it was going to become a future topic.

At home, Kita immersed himself even more in chores and studies so he was blissfully focused and busy at any time. The ‘Inarizaki VBC Third Years’ groupchat was busy with comparing homework answers and practice questions, as well as more mundane things like food cravings and sibling problems. Kita had a suspicion that ever since the incident, his friends tagged him even more in their messages so he would have to reply, so that he wouldn’t be stuck in his own head. He was grateful for that. 

It also became routine for Atsumu to accompany Kita to school in the early mornings. Kita had scolded him to “sleep earlier if ya want to keep yer word of walkin’ with me”, and Atsumu had risen to the occasion tremendously. Gone was the dead look that the second year sported in the mornings, he looked more refreshed and energized once he corrected his sleeping schedule. 

_  
“Yer makin’ a new man outta me, Kita-san! Aren’t ya proud?” Atsumu had said, wheedling for a compliment._

_“You should be proud of yerself, Atsumu. Yer the only one who can change yerself, after all,” Kita had replied._

_If Atsumu walked with a bounce in his step after that, Kita said nothing.  
_

Inarizaki’s volleyball club, including both current members and recent alumnus, were even more protective of Kita in school after the restroom confrontation. They had migrated having lunch in the canteen to a more private cluster of benches near Inarizaki’s greenhouse. The only students who ate there were the environmental club students, but they seemed quite content to share their eating space with the volleyball players. It was colder there because of the winter season, but not enough to deter anyone from eating in peace, so that was that. 

Kita became accustomed to the whole change. His life was returning to an agreeable pattern again, which was good. But even so, everytime he looked out the window of his bedroom in between studying, he would feel unease creeping upon him as he looked at the police vehicle parked in front of their house. 

Kita wanted this whole ordeal to be over as soon as possible. Unbeknownst to him at that time, it was. But not without difficulty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap! (Haha, I always wanted to say that but I'm not a film director so no right situation yet.) ANYWAY, this chapter was a monster, and, note to future self, write chapters in SEPARATE google docs. It was a nightmare to copy it all since my laptop is so old, I really have to get a new one. I appreciate any feedback, it's the FOOD that keeps me ALIVE on this site LOL. Let me know what you think and thanks for reading! Love, Deenowr


	3. How it Plateaus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things often get worse, before they get better. The town has been cleansed of any yakuza activity by the police, but after a just a short period of freedom, it seems like there are still shadows lurking around. Aran and Atsumu conducts an investigation of their own in order to help pinpoint who exactly painted a target on Kita's back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, my dear readers! Happy holidays to those who are celebrating Christmas, as well to those on break, stay safe and take care! I was going to post this chapter a bit later, but decided that this was the right time, and I decided to really finish things up next chapter. So we are going to have four chapters with this fic, and I'M SORRY FOR MY INDECISIVE ASS. I have nothing to say for myself. ENJOY!

Security tightened in town and it seemed that although there were no actual restrictions imposed upon the residents, its people took it upon themselves to have an early curfew. People no longer wandered around when the skies started to take on the pinkish-purplish hue that marked the end of the day was near, and after dark, the streets were empty save for officers completing their rounds. 

Kita was getting used to being herded to and from Inarizaki with the accompaniment of his peers, and he became more familiar with the habits of Officers Yokoyama and Hirama, who took turns observing the Kita residence. Thankfully, their neighbours had no blame for Yumie or her grandson, and instead, often sent prayers and small crop gifts of consolation to them. Kita and his Obaa-san thanked them graciously each time, but Kita had mixed feelings about the presents as they only served as reminders of the yakuza attack he had pushed to the back of his mind. 

After the restroom incident in Inarizaki High, no other skirmishes or confrontations occurred. Of course, this could be partly due to the fact that the Inarizaki Volleyball Club and its three other alumnus were protective of Kita and one had to go through all of them before being able to even breathe in their ex-captain’s direction. Another reason could be that exam season was drawing to a close for all of the students, so even the gossip-mongering junior students were too busy drowning in notes and homework to do anything else. 

Almost two weeks passed before any news about the Yamaguchi-gumi gang surfaced. It was good news, thankfully. In Himeji City, a small cluster of the gang members who fled from Amagasaki were caught and arrested in a gambling ring, and through questioning, had revealed the names of some members who had dealings in nearby towns in exchange for lighter sentencing. The police in Himeji immediately contacted all the local community police in the related towns, and in less than 24 hours, all the gang members were successfully detained. 

Surprisingly but thankfully, their town had no yakuza members or signs of yakuza activity at all, even after several thorough sweeps done by the police. It meant that the two yakuza men who were sent after Kita that Friday travelled to the town with the sole purpose of meeting their target, before leaving. The two men were still uncaptured and unidentified, but the police had determined that they were no longer in the area.

Inspector Takahashi, accompanied by only Sergeant Okuda this time, paid the Kita household a visit to discuss the situation in further details. “We had the best detectives on the case, and we are confident that there are no stray members of the yakuza, regardless of which branch they come from, around. Of course, we are still working on uncovering who exactly was sent to attack you, Shinsuke-san,” Inspector Takahashi said seriously, “but as of now, the yakuza investigations in the town are being put to a close.”

“That does leave you with a decision to make,” The inspector continued, “if you continue feeling that it is best to have Officers Yokoyama and Hirama taking shifts to observe your place of residence, then they will continue to do so. However, since it is highly unlikely that those two will make another appearance, we can take the two officers off of observation.” 

After a short discussion, both grandparent and grandchild decided that it would be best to stop the observation. Kita was relieved to hear that firstly, his two assaulters were far away from the town and would not be making an appearance again anytime soon. Secondly, he felt more at ease at the fact that he wouldn’t be seeing the now familiar police car parked in front of their house, because it just kept reminding him of the assault that he wanted to forget as well as the guilt of having the already small number of local community police standing guard at their house. 

Before the inspector and sergeant left the house, they made a request aimed towards Yumie. “Kita-san, if it is alright… could we have a talk with Shinsuke-san in private?” Sergeant Okuda asked. 

Her question surprised Yumie, but she nodded. “Of course, of course. Take however long ya want, I’ll just be cleanin’ up in the kitchen.” With that, the old woman disappeared into the house, leaving the trio at the front of the house. The police car the sergeant and inspector arrived in was parked next to the vehicle Officer Yokoyama used. Officer Yokoyama was nowhere to be seen at that moment. 

“Shinsuke-san…” Sergeant Okuda began, “this must have been a harrowing experience for you, and it is understandable if you’d like to move past this incident and move on with your life. However, we would like you to know that we have also performed more investigations about the incident you went through. We had our suspicions that someone of your age would be the one who sent members of the Yamaguchi-gumi after you, and it seems that this is the most likely scenario now.” She stopped and looked at her superior.

Inspector Takahashi nodded. “Yes. We checked all the profiles and affiliates of the students at your school, Inarizaki High, and found that there is no connection. That does not mean our prediction is wrong… it means that possibly, the culprit in question is from another school. Have you ever made any enemies from other schools, Shinsuke-san?”

“...Not that I know of,” Kita said honestly. 

“That’s what we thought,” Inspector Takahashi sighed, exchanging a tired look with Sergeant Okuda. “You’re a model student, Shinsuke-san, all your teachers and even your principal have only good things to say about you. Your records are clean. With these facts in mind, it would be absurd to claim that you yourself were involved with yakuza-affiliated students. Therefore, it wouldn’t be a reach for us to conclude that this is a form of sabotage or petty vengeance. It’s rare, but this has happened from time to time. A student, unhappy with another student, inflicts damage the only way they know how in a fit of desperation.”

“We’re sorry that your culprit and attackers have not been apprehended. But rest assured that the case is still ongoing until all those involved have been properly identified. We thank both you and your grandmother for your patience and cooperation,” Sergeant Okuda says, accompanied by a slight bow. 

“Thank you,” Kita said in return, bowing respectfully in reply. 

He saw the two uniformed officers off, just as Officer Yokoyama made an appearance, walking up the small dirt path with a few familiar faces in tow. Sergeant Okuda rolled down the car window and started talking to Officer Yokoyama, while Aran, Akagi and Oomimi bade him a quick goodbye and made their way towards a patient Kita. 

“I wasn’t aware we had any plans t’day,” Kita greeted them once they were close enough. To an outsider, he would have sounded completely emotionless. But his fellow third years knew that there was a subtle hint of amusement in his tone.

“Nope!” Akagi said cheerfully, “but we haven’t had the time to celebrate the good news, Shin. C’mon, it’s a Saturday, and we’re all confirmed to be yakuza-free! Let’s go an’ get some meat buns t’gether! Yer Obaa-san loves ‘em, right? Then ya can tell us how the meetin’ with the officers went.”

Before Kita could reply, Yumie had stuck her head through the front door to do so, almost giving his friends a mini heart attack. “It’s so nice that yer friends came all the way fer a visit, Shin-chan! You boys should go out an’ have some fun - it’ll put my mind to peace for a while to see Shin-chan relax instead of studyin’ on a weekend. Thank you fer lookin’ after him,” Yumie said gratefully. 

“It’s no problem at all! He looks after us all most of the time, so it’s good when we have the chance to return the favour,” Aran replied. “You hear that, Kita? You’re worryin’ your Obaa-san! A few hours of relaxation won’t hurt, in fact, it’s good to rest your mind before you hit the books again.”

Kita obliged, leaving his grandmother to chat with his friends while he got ready. He grabbed his wallet and phone, and after checking the weather forecast, decided that a scarf would be necessary. His left wrist was getting better, but the wrist brace he wore still made his movements awkward and clumsy. Kita donned a coat with oversized pockets that he could slip his left hand into if it became cold. It was a bit large on him, having belonged to his grandfather, but his grandmother often squished his cheeks and called him ‘extra cute’ when he wore it… But there was a high chance that his friends would want to eat the hot meat buns while walking around in the cold, so it would be good to be prepared. 

Once he was done, they bade both Yumie and Officer Yokoyama goodbye and set off towards the bakery. It was quite nice weather, although there was a cold breeze making its way through the crevices of the small town. It had been a long time since Kita had walked so freely like this. He still felt the shackles of the yakuza episode on him, and he knew that he wouldn’t be at rest until they managed to identify the culprits involved, but he felt lighter somehow. The holiday season was also approaching fast, and he could see shops beginning to put up posters with promotions and discounts for the upcoming holiday. 

“Alright!” Akagi cheered, peering into the paper bag containing their newly-purchased buns, “It’s been too long since I’ve had these. You guys wanna eat ‘em by Inari Park? Looks like there’s a free bench over there.”

Just as Kita had predicted, his friends decided that it was a good idea and they settled down on the lone bench Akagi had spotted. Aran insisted that they take a group selfie, smartphone at the ready. As the others dug into the food hungrily, he was busy typing something furiously on his phone, a mischievous look that was more suited to the second years of the volleyball club on his face. Kita chose not to comment and instead, focused on savouring the meat bun he chewed. The last time he visited this exact bakery was right before the whole Muko River experience… and he wanted to replace those memories with better ones.   
“So... you ready to tell us about the meetin’ with the police, Shin?” Akagi prompted, once Kita swallowed his last bite. 

Kita nodded, dabbing at his mouth carefully with a wad of tissue. “The police confirmed that there isn’t any yakuza activity or members in town, so things should return to normal. We could still have officers guardin’ our place if we wanted to. But my Obaa-san and I decided that it was better not to. They said that there’s a high chance we’re gonna be safe now,” he said carefully. 

“...And?” Aran prompted, not missing anything.

An almost wry smile made its way on Kita’s face at his friend’s sharpness. “They talked t’me about the culprit behind my assault. They were sure it was a high school student, just like we thought, and they checked everyone’s profiles in Inarizaki but found nothin’,” Kita explained.

“Nothing?” Oomimi asked, sounding slightly disappointed. “I mean, it’s good that no one in Inarizaki could be tied to the culprit, but… it just creates more questions for us, too. What did they say? Will they still investigate the case?”

“Yeah,” Kita said, nodding, “they’re plannin’ to. They’re thinkin’ of lookin’ into other schools, actually, and said it was probably the culprit wanting some form of revenge. They asked me if I made any enemies outside of our school, and I told ‘em I’m not sure.”

“Damn. Ya got it right, Aran. The police are just repeatin’ the same things you did,” Akagi whistled, impressed. “Uh, Aran? Ya okay?” he asked, when Aran gave no reply. 

Aran was staring hard at his own half-eaten meat bun, as if he was analyzing each atom present in his food. When Akagi called out his name for the second time, he was shaken out of his reverie. “Huh? Oh, yeah… Can’t believe we guessed right,” he replied, eyes still a bit unfocused. 

Kita wanted to ask him if anything was wrong, but before he could, a shout caught their attention. 

“Senpai! What are all of you doin’ here? Takin’ a break from studyin’?” Ginjima asked, waving both arms up in greeting as he approached his upperclassmen. Kita was not surprised to see Osamu and Atsumu trailing after him, the former looking as apathetic as ever while the latter sported a prominent-looking pout. 

“Wow. This is such a coincidence,” Oomimi deadpanned so hard, Akagi snarted sniggering. 

“Yeah, we’re taking a break,” Aran shrugged with a smirk, any concerning thoughts he had seemingly forgotten, “we’re also celebrating the good news of the yakuza detainment. Kita here doesn’t have to be under observation anymore, the police confirmed everything’s alright.”

“That’s good t’hear! I’m glad everythin’s turnin’ out good,” Ginjima said sincerely, smiling, “We were just lookin’ around the shops for early Christmas gifts… well, _I_ was anyway. These two are no help at all when it comes t’things like this,” he said pointedly, shooting the two siblings a look of distaste. 

“Well, that’s not a surprise… I’ve never seen you guys exchange presents, and I’ve known you since junior high. Ginjima, they’ll probably slow yer whole process down,” Aran sighed, “You have a lot of elder sisters, right? Akagi’s close to his aunts, he’s probably the best for gift advice,” Aran nodded in their ex-libero’s direction. Ginjima immediately rounded on said senior, desperate for advice, and an intense discussion started between the two. 

“Aran-kun, sorry, but did ya ask yer Okaa-san if she was okay with me gettin’ her wagashi recipe?” Osamu finally spoke up, gaze a little less disinterested-looking as he steered the dialogue into food territory. 

“Oh, yeah, she’s fine with it! C’mere, this is what she sent me…” Aran beckoned the grey-haired Miya sibling to him. 

That left Atsumu hovering almost awkwardly near Oomimi and Kita. Oomimi shot the lone junior a quick susupicious look before he sighed in a resigned manner and got up from his seat. “I’m actually going to buy more buns from the bakery, my imouto just sent a message,” he said, leaving the table. 

“Kita-san…” Atsumu said once Oomimi left. Kita turned to him, nodding for him to continue. “It’s really good news t’hear that the police ended the yakuza case successfully. Aran told me that ya had a meetin’ with the inspectors on the case this mornin’,” he said, a questioning tone in his voice.

“Thanks, Atsumu. Yeah, the police said we’re safe now so I don’t need any observin’ or escortin’ anymore,” Kita said, “You’ve been real helpful, walkin’ me to school each mornin’. My Obaa-san and Officer Yokoyama didn’t hafta worry since I had yer company.”

“O-Oh! It’s no problem at all, Kita-san. I liked walkin’ with ya because, uh…” Atsumu trailed off, a conflicted look passing over his face, “it was real peaceful in the mornings, where ya live at. The street by our place is noisy all the time, dogs barkin’ and all that.”

“That’s good to hear,” Kita said, smiling. The younger boy immediately dropped his gaze, cheeks reddening. “But now that everythin’s over, ya don’t have to wake up real early to send me off to school. I should be fine now,” Kita finished and almost immediately, Atsumu’s eyes snapped up to meet his, looking serious. 

Atsumu took a step closer towards his senior. He licked his lips, looking hesitant, before continuing, “Kita-san, ‘m happy that the police found nothin’ bad in town, and ‘m happy they say that yer safer now… But the police didn’t find the people responsible fer yer case. And I know y’told me that at this point of time, they think someone our age did it, wants t’see ya hurt. So because of that, I - I’m gonna continue walkin’ with ya each mornin’, if you’ll allow me to,” the blonde male said resolutely. 

Kita took in the determination shining in his kouhai’s eyes, and the firm set of his mouth. Atsumu could be loud, abrasive, and rash off the court, but on the court, he was diligent, determined, an honest worker… although more experience and years could definitely help further polish his attitude. It was at times like these that Kita knew Atsumu was just being himself, no defences up, just straightforward honesty. And when he said things in these situations, it was difficult to fault him. So, the ex-captain acquiesced, “Okay, I’m touched by yer concern. We’ll continue walkin’ together.”

Atsumu beamed like Christmas was already here. A shy look overtook his features, and he looked like he was about to say more, but Osamu appeared at his side and started steering him away firmly by the elbow. “Kita-san, sorry if ‘Tsumu is buggin’ you. I’ll get him outta yer hair so you can have some peace,” Osamu drawled, causing his brother to hiss at him adamantly. 

As the three second years walked away, waving goodbye, Oomimi returned to the bench with a new package of bakery food in hand. “Are you guys ready to head back now?” he asked.

“Yup! Got a few more things to go over, so I should get goin’. I can’t wait for all of this to be over,” Akagi groaned, getting up. Kita nodded and followed suit. 

“Actually, you guys go on ahead,” Aran said. He was looking at his phone, an unreadable expression on his face. “I’m meeting someone about club stuff. They weren’t free earlier, but it looks like there was a change in schedule and I can catch up to ‘em if I go now.”

“Oh?” Oomimi asked, eyebrows raised, “Club stuff? After stepping down from volleyball, I was sure you wouldn’t be interested in lookin’ at other school clubs.”

“Don’t worry, I miss volleyball but I’m happy for the free time we have for studying now, so I’m not looking to join any club so late,” Aran chuckled, “It’s nothing big, anyway, just some help amongst fellow students. I’ll see you guys on Monday, okay?”

With that, Aran jogged off towards the bustling crowds in town. As the other three third years made their way home, Akagi and Oomimi successfully distracted Kita by engaging him in conversation about their final exam schedules. Kita didn’t have time to dwell on Aran’s broodiness and mysterious activities, and it was soon forgotten.

* * *

It was during recess on Monday that Aran’s odd actions were brought up again. 

Since the whole yakuza scare was considered to be over, the volleyball club could have moved back into their usual spot in the cafeteria to have their break. But after almost two weeks of having recess near Inarizaki’s greenhouse, the members have gotten used to the cold. Additionally, it was easy to relax and be more boisterous without worrying about the reproving stares of other students. 

When Kita had settled down on the bench he always ate with his fellow third years, he found that Aran was missing. When he asked, Akagi nodded in the direction of the greenhouse, where Ojiro was currently engaged in conversation with two of the environmental club members. The conversation they had seemed to be pretty serious, judging by the looks on their faces, but they were far enough that no one could overhear them. 

“That’s the president and vice president of the environmental club. Aran-kun’s been talkin’ t’them fer almost ten minutes now,” Atsumu suddenly chimed in from his spot on the floor nearby. There were a few other benches scattered around the small area, but the second years always huddled up in a circle on the floor to eat. Oomimi had told them to get a bench because the floor was cold, but their freaky kouhai never seemed too bothered. 

“It’s probably ‘cause they can understand him. Yer accent’s so thick ya couldn’t even last a minute when ya tried,” Osamu stated. 

“We speak the same way, ‘Samu, so they wouldn’t understand ya either. And it was more than a minute, ya lyin’ bastard!” Atsumu argued. 

The argument that ensued lasted a total of five minutes before Ginjima, already practising for his role of mediating peace between the two brothers, stepped in and diverted their attention to something else. 

During the short quiet lull in conversation that followed, Akagi spoke up, “Why do you guys think Aran’s makin’ friendly with them? The environmental club’s pretty active in competitions, but if he’s lookin’ to add to his resume, his volleyball achievements are enough. I mean, he’s the _ace_.”

“... Maybe he’s trying to learn more about nature,” Oomimi suggested.

“ _Or_ someone there caught his eye,” Akagi said brightly.

His two friends started discussing if nature or a potential romantic partner was the more likely explanation as to Aran’s sudden involvement with the environmental club members. Kita was content just listening while he ate. The fact that Atsumu mentioned he had been talking to them as well but Aran was making a better headway gave Kita a faint idea of what was going on.

Besides Inarizaki’s volleyball team, the environmental club was also a pretty renown club in their own right. They were active in national environmental-friendly competitions and often won prestigious awards. Just like the volleyball team, they often represented Hyogo prefecture in Japan’s national competitions. In order to do so, they must have met and competed against a myriad of other schools in Hyogo prefecture.

So lining all those clues together, Kita had a strong suspicion as to why Aran would approach the environmental club leaders, but he would wait until Aran brought it up with him before he did anything else.

* * *

Kita didn’t have to wait long, fortunately.

“So I may have some information that might prove useful in pinpointing the culprits behind the attack,” Aran mentioned casually on the way home from school. That day, Aran and Atsumu were the only two accompanying Kita home. He didn’t need any escorting any longer, especially all the way to his front doorstep, but the other two were just as stubborn as he was, so he lost that argument. He was sandwiched between the two of them as they walked.

“Does it have to do with the environmental club?” Kita asked.

Surprisingly, Atsumu was the one who replied. “Yeah! We weren’t really bein’ quiet about the whole thing ‘cause yer too sharp to hide from anyway,” he shrugged. When Kita shot him a look, the blonde setter hastened to continue, “Aran-kun told me the police did a background check on everyone in Inarizaki but found nothin’ related to yer case, so they were plannin’ to expand the investigation to other schools. We both know that ya only run into other schools whenever we have volleyball practice matches or competitions ‘cause besides that, you kinda keep to yerself only.”

“Not to say that you have no social life,” Aran sighed, shooting Atsumu a disapproving look, “But with our schedules, who has the time, really? Anyway, the environmental club’s been in just as many inter-school competitions as us, if not more, and since their competitions involve more face-to-face interactions with other schools, I thought that maybe, just maybe, they’d know the ins and outs of other schools, you know? And apparently, they do! The sort of research and presentation contests that they go for require a lot of reading up and understanding their opponent’s school background and resources. It’s pretty intense,” Aran said. 

“Yeah, the environmental club members are pretty much genius nerds but they’re also really up to date with news and gossip from other schools, seein’ as how active they are,” Atsumu said matter-of-factly, like he didn’t just deliver a backhanded compliment.

“ _Atsumu_ , watch your mouth,” Aran said exasperatedly. “I looked through the list of schools we’ve interacted with, and asked the environmental club’s members about each one. Long story short, there were two schools that we narrowed down as suspects. They’re schools in Hyogo prefecture, and we defeated them both to get to nationals; Ikuno High and Kawanishi High.”

Kita tried to remember the matches against the two schools. Ikuno High was a bit troublesome, as they always were. They were strong in both blocking and receiving, but their wing spikers needed more power in order to overcome Inarizaki. When the match ended, Kita remembered the team’s captain congratulating him and there was no animosity between the teams, only determination to do better. 

Kawanishi High, on the other hand… Memories of a ‘new ace’ came to mind; a first year with a temper, a foul blatantly committed just to injure since they were going to lose anyway, and poisonous words in the secluded restroom of the gymnasium… 

Kita was good at controlling his features, a blank mask placed carefully on his face even during the most heated of matches, but Aran had learned and practically memorized the facial expressions of his friend. Whatever was on Kita’s face at that moment made Aran’s eyes soften in gentle sympathy, and he knew he didn’t have to say anymore. Atsumu did not share the three years of close friendship between his two senpai, but he remained silent, recognizing that Kita should be given some time to process the new information.

For the first time in a long time, Kita’s steps faltered, as he allowed his thoughts free rein in his mind. He didn’t realize that he had meandered to a stop, and the other two had followed suit. Kita could feel his braced wrist twinging, phantom pains from the Friday occurrence tweaking at his senses. Dark, hot shame and embarrassment welled up in his throat, of having his pain enjoyed, _recorded_...

_”Wow, they were right. You’re quite the looker... even when you’re all beat up.”_

_“Look here and smile for me.”_

_”I’d love to rough you up some more and see what other pitiful faces you can make, but I have to go now.”_

And before all that, before everything…

_“Yeah, go off with your pretty little captain. He must be very good at other things if he got captain but he wasn’t even playing.”_

It would make sense, but…

“You think… Kawanishi’s number 11 did it? ‘Cause of a lost match?” Kita rasped. He stared unseeingly at the gravel at his feet.

“...Of all the people we went against, he stands out the most,” Aran said carefully, “The environmental club did some diggin’ for us and found out that there’s been increased cases of bullying in Kawanishi recently. They were hushed up because Kawanishi can’t afford a bad name and lesser student enrollments.”

“Bullyin’ and assault usin’ yakuza members aren’t the same. The accusation we’re makin’ is...” Kita trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. 

His mind kept conjuring the image of Kawanishi’s first year… _Yamamoto Kyuusei_ , his brain supplied him with a name. He was a _first year_ , a _new transfer_ , and he lost a volleyball match. Could that really spur someone in reaching out to gang members notorious for their cold murders and crimes, just to get revenge on another highschooler? And in a different timeline, if Kawanishi emerged the victor after their match against Inarizaki, would the school they lost against further down the line fall victim as well? 

Atsumu, who had been silent for quite some time and watched the exchange between his Aran and Kita, finally spoke. “Our accusation is dangerous? ‘S that what yer gonna say, Kita-san? It’s not as dangerous as sendin’ full-grown yakuza bastards to beat up someone who won against you fairly in a volleyball match,” Atsumu said, pure vitriol in his voice. “Ya both didn’t hear what he had t’say after the match… I don’t - can’t repeat it, but trust me when I tell ya that he’s gotta be our strongest suspect.”

“Okay,” Kita’s mouth moved before his brain fully comprehended his actions, “I believe ya,” he said quietly, meeting Atsumu’s stormy gaze and Aran’s empathetic one. “My Obaa-san has Sergeant Okuda’s number, to contact her fer things like this… I’ll contact her at home.”

* * *

Maybe it was Kita’s fault for not being as consistent as Yumie in praying to the kami. Maybe fate decided that the meager two, almost three full days of freedom granted towards the Kita household was enough. Or maybe humans with evil intentions never stop extracting their revenge, going and going at it until their target weakens and all hope is extinguished.

But when they reached Kita’s residence and walked up the tidy dirt path that led to his home, it was too quiet. It was too still for a house out in the country with a barn at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. The silence was stifling. 

“Is it always this quiet?” Atsumu wondered out loud. He has never strayed farther than their meeting point at the main road to walk Kita to school each morning, but even he could detect the eeriness permeating in the air. 

“No,” Aran said.

Kita stilled, and his friends halted. “Ya hear that?” he asked, voice low, ears straining. The other two seemed confused.

He could hear quiet whines floating towards them from the direction of the barn. Growing up in the countryside, where chickens had to be guarded from sly predators and pregnant cows and horses had to be kept an eye on lest they have sudden, unassisted births that ended in deaths of both mother and offspring, had sharpened Kita’s hearing more than his friends’. And he was familiar with the house, the barn; his home. His sanctuary. 

“Somethin’s wrong,” he croaked, and started running towards the barn, his heart beating wildly. He paid no heed to his book bag that swung wildly, hitting his thigh painfully in his frenzy.

“Shin!”

“Kita-san!”

Kita pushed open the doors to the barn, and could only stare at the sight that met his eyes. The lone horse they had was whinnying, pawing at the ground nervously. There was only one farm dog in sight, Hachi, who was whimpering on the floor with a bleeding leg. On the floor near the far wall of the barn was the limp, bloodied corpse of a dead rooster, its neck slit open. 

Drawn on the wall in what had to be the rooster’s blood was a flat-looking diamond with a thick-looking slash down the middle. It was the same symbol that has been published countless of times in the newspapers and posted on internet websites, tightly associated with the murder of the konbini owner in Amagasaki as well as a litter of other crimes around Hyogo and other parts of Japan. The symbol of the Yamaguchi-gumi gang. 

There was a sharp intake of breath from Aran and Atsumu when they joined him. Kita stumbled forward and fell clumsily onto his knees near Hachi, gathering the poor dog into his arms gently to offer her comfort, until her whines petered into quiet sniffles. At that moment, Kita tried to ground himself by focusing on his need to care for his injured companion, ignoring the angry buzzing in his brain and the hot lump in his throat.

“Shinsuke… Shin. I’m so sorry,” said Aran.

“...C-Call my Obaa-san. Please. She’s at the neighbour’s, Minami-san’s,” Kita said, voice trembling. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, listening to Aran wordlessly carry out his plea. 

At his side, he heard some shuffling, and a gentle but firm grip on his shoulder. Soft, warm brown eyes met his. Atsumu. The younger male said nothing, trying to offer comfort with his presence instead of any words. 

“Kita-san? I’m sorry, but where are you now?” Aran asked Yumie on the phone. “That - that’s good to hear… Something happened at your barn, Kita-san. No one’s in danger now. We’ll need to file a police report... Shinsuke’s with us, he’s - he’s… yeah. Okay, we’ll be here.”

“Shin,” Aran directed to him, “Your Obaa-san is on the way. She’s also sending me the sergeant’s contact number, so we can call her up. I can do it now.”

“No,” Kita said, “I should do it.” His voice, although quiet, left no room for argument. He received the contact number from Aran, and as he heard the dial tone, he swept a gaze around the barn. 

His attention before that moment was focused solely on the poor, pained dog as well as the bloody symbol on the wall. Now, he started noticing the haphazard mess the barn was in, evidence of the breaking and entering done by whoever it was. Or they were. There was some bloody paw prints on the floor from Hachi’s leg. She must have tried to defend against the intruder but ended up hurt. The other two farm dogs were nowhere to be seen, which was worrying. They would need to find them. Kita hoped they were okay.

The ten chickens they reared were huddled in the chicken coop quietly, clucking from time to time. There were a lot of feathers and scratch marks on the floor of the pen, indicating there must have been mass panic when the unfamiliar stranger appeared and attacked a member of their family, the rooster. The old horse they had who helped pull the plough machine through the paddy fields in the summer, Umami, was still harrumphing and whinnying anxiously. 

Aran, who was quite familiar with the elderly horse, was stroking her neck to calm her down while talking in a soothing tone, and he occasionally glanced at Kita. Atsumu had left Kita’s side to fill up a pail with water and clean up the bleeding gash on Hachi’s hind leg.

When Sergeant Okuda’s voice answered, Kita was jolted back to the phone call. “Okuda-san, it’s Kita Shinsuke. I got yer number from my Obaa-san. I need t’file another police report, there’s been a breakin in our barn, a rooster’s been killed and,” Kita’s eyes flitted momentarily towards the diamond-shaped symbol, “there’s the symbol for the Yamaguchi-gumi on the wall.”

“I see, thank you for the call, Shinsuke-san. I’m sorry that this happened. Please stay put and I’ll be there in five minutes,” Sergeant Okuda replied, sounding breathless. She sounded like she was busy gathering things as fast as she could. 

“Thank you. Also, I was thinkin’ about what ya said, about any enemies I made,” Kita said, gulping quietly, “I may have someone in mind.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! I know, I know, I said I was going to wrap this whole fic in three chapters, but I COULDN'T. I am INCAPABLE of doing so. Tell me what you think, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated! I have some ideas formed already for the ending... I guess we'll just see which path wins in the end when I start writing LOL. Thanks again for reading, and take care!


	4. How it Meanders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After some pain-staking questioning where unwanted memories are brought back to life, the culprits are finally located. It seems like things may go back to normal, although the journey may be slow. However, when one intends to stop the mould that spreads amongst rotten fruit, one mustn't just get rid of those with infected exteriors... because at times, there are those with infected cores as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to apologize for the late update, but like, I also don't feel like I have to because I have a valid reason? I just flew from Malaysia to the US to continue my doctorate program in Molec Bio and I had to get a new place which needed new Wi-Fi and apparently I don't have a cohort because no one else made it through from their countries? So I'm officially the lone Winter 2021 student they have. D': So between settling all that, rotations, classes and Zoom meets with profs - I didn't have TIME. I need to finish this before it gets worse, HAHA. Next chapter is gonna be the last one. I aim for it to be. But you know me... I'm pretty flakey, from my track record. SORRY AND ENJOY.

When Kita Yumie arrived at the barn, she stood stock still at the entrance, drinking in the scene. Her wizened face looked terribly sad, an expression that was unsettling to see on her as people rarely saw her melancholic side. If Kita Shinsuke was someone stoic and often noted as cold, his grandmother was the complete opposite, honest with her emotions and warm like the summer Sun. 

She hugged her grandson tightly and soundlessly, and Aran and Atsumu turned away and busied themselves with their respective tasks of caring for the animals, wanting to give them the privacy they needed in that vulnerable moment. But there was no time to process or dwell on the matter, things were happening so abruptly.

Both grandson and grandmother were exchanging words in low voices, when Sergeant Okuda arrived at the scene with three more police officers accompanying her. Photographic evidence of the barn was collected, and as Sergeant Okuda talked to Kita and his grandmother, Atsumu and Aran were also approached by two other officers.

“To be honest, we both didn’t notice anything out of place much when we reached Kita’s home. Atsumu here thought it was a bit too quiet. But Kita heard something and he ran towards the barn, and this is all we found,” Aran stated. At his side, Atsumu was quiet. He seemed shaken by the bloody symbol on the wall, but also at witnessing Kita’s raw emotions firsthand. 

“Did any of you enter the house or check around in the area outside the barn?” One officer asked, jotting down notes on his clipboard. 

“No, we didn’t,” Aran replied. “The thought had occurred to me… but it also sounded like a dangerous idea. So we stayed put here and Kita called Sergeant Okuda, and we tried to settle the barn animals down.”

The officer nodded, thanked them, and walked towards their leading sergeant. Sergeant Okuda sported a serious expression on her face as she talked to someone on her phone. Yumie was talking to another officer, but Kita had left the small circle and approached his two schoolmates. 

“Shinsuke, are you going to the police station?” Aran asked.

“Yeah. I’ll be filin’ the police report there. Sergeant Okuda also wants more details about Yamamoto Kyuusei. She says it’s complicated ‘cause we don’t have physical evidence tyin’ the situation to him, if he was the one who sent the yakuza in the first place. But it’s better than nothin’.” Kita was still a bit paler than usual, but he seemed much more put-together than before. 

“Thank you fer both yer help. Hachi and Umami are both doin’ better now thanks to yer care, my Obaa-san just has to call the town’s vet for a quick checkup on Hachi’s leg... Obaa-san will be stayin’ here with two of the officers while I file the report. Thanks again, I,” Kita licked his lips, “I don’t think I coulda handled it if I was on my own,” he admitted.

“Ya don’t hafta handle it on yer own, Kita-san. Even if we weren’t here with ya, call any of us and we’d be here to help out,” Atsumu said, “That’s what ya told us durin’ practice once, remember? We’re a team and we gotta trust each other. That’s not just in games,” he finished, surprisingly wise. 

When both Kita and Aran stared at him a tad too long, he blushed and started flapping his hands in embarrassment. “I mean… I just don’t want ya to keep doin’ things by yerself, if it's’ easier with other people, and we _want_ to be there fer ya. ‘M just tryin’ to say things yer way,” he muttered. 

“That’s very wise, Atsumu,” Aran nodded. Then, he turned to their ex-captain. “You hear that, Shin? We have you back, and we’ll continue having your back, okay? So feel free to trust us, ‘cause we’re here for you. Since we’re on this topic, do you _want_ us to go to the police station with you? I’m saying ‘want’, and not ‘need’ here,” Aran said, waggling a finger comically in Kita’s direction like he usually did to the Miya brothers when they were on the verge of a fight. 

Being on the receiving end of it for the first time in his life, Kita couldn’t help the small wan upturn of his mouth. “...I sometimes forget how well ya know me, Aran. I don’t need ya to accompany me because ya both have helped me so much already. And I feel guilty fer gettin’ ya both involved in this whole mess. But besides filin’ the report, Sergeant Okuda wanted to hear more about Yamamoto Kyuusei… and logically, with the three of us, she would get a more accurate picture of the whole thing. So,” Kita steeled himself, “I want ya both to be at the station with me, if that’s - if that’s alright.”

Kita couldn’t help the internal cringe that locked his muscles into place, and tried to prevent his tongue from forming the words. He was so rarely in a position that required him to ask people to go out of their way to assist him, so used to being independent and learning things on his own or from others with a fair bartering system involved where both parties benefited, that it was difficult to ask of this from his friends. 

But Sergeant Okuda had made it clear that he would need to have good ground evidence in order for them to even consider Yamamoto Kyuusei, someone he ran into once from months ago, as a suspect, and both Aran and Atsumu were the ones who managed to pinpoint him. It was only fair to his friends that they were given the choice to further pursue the matter. 

“It’s more than alright with me,” Aran said.

“Yes!” Atsumu crowed, almost pumping his fist in delight. 

He received a glare from the circle of adult officers and a ‘shh!’ from an exasperated Aran. Realizing his mistake, the younger boy winced and slapped a hand over his mouth, looking rightfully cowed. “Sorry, I just really wanted t’see this whole thing through,” he apologized. 

Aran proceeded to lecture him while Kita, with a slightly light heart at the thought of tackling the issue with his teammates by his side, went to Sergeant Okuda to get her agreement on the matter. After the last time he was at the police station right after the assault, it was normal for his body to react negatively at the thought of returning to the place which held no good memories. It was good that this time, he would have more companions with him.

* * *

Sergeant Okuda and another officer drove them to the police station. There were neighbours including Minami-san gathered at the main road near the Kita family’s house, clearly curious and anxious, summoned by the police cars parked there. Officer Yokoyama was now back at his station for another indefinite amount of time, and he respectfully saluted the police car with all five of them inside as it passed him. The residents scattered outside stared at them in worry, and Kita was glad he was sandwiched in the back between his two bulkier friends, although it was a tight squeeze. 

At the police station, Kita filled up some forms and filed the report about the barn’s breakin with the help of Sergeant Okuda herself, while Atsumu and Aran took the time to contact their parents and inform them that they were helping Kita at the police station as witnesses. Kita felt a twinge of guilt but pushed it down and focused on the report he was making. Atsumu and Aran had made it clear they wanted to be involved, and Kita had to trust in them just like they did him.

Once he was done, they were ushered to the same private room where Kita was in last time, and left for a while with some tea and rice crackers. Kita wasn’t hungry and would not have touched the plate at all, if not for Atsumu’s constant sneaky looks at the plate. It looked like he wanted some, but wasn’t going to get any unless someone else did too. To spare the poor boy, Kita took one cracker, and Atsumu immediately pounced for the plate, very much akin to Osamu around food after a match.

Atsumu was busy gobbling down the last rice cracker when Sergeant Okuda stepped in again, and this time, she was with another officer familiar to Kita, Sergeant Takanashi. Meeting the both of them again in the same room like the last time, after the Muko River incident, made Kita feel uneasy and tense. Somehow, even if his enemy was not in the room, he felt like a mouse in front of a snake, so he unconsciously tried his best not to move.

After a short round of introductions from the two uniformed adults, as well as some further clarification on some details, Sergeant Okuda wasted no time in diving in. “We understand that you have a suspect behind these events in mind, and we would like to hear more about this. Please understand that there are a number of tedious steps that must be taken in order for us to even gain permission to run a background check on the suspect, who is in high school, especially considering we don’t have any physical evidence that connects the suspect to the incidents as of now. With this in mind, please be as detailed as possible.”

Sergeant Takanashi had locked the door to the room for privacy, but the click of the lock slipping in place sounded final. Kita tried not to flinch at the sound, and raised his eyes to meet Sergeant Okuda’s gaze. “...Yamamoto Kyuusei is the suspect we have in mind. He is a first year student at Kawanishi High, a new transfer to the school, when our school’s volleyball club had a match against them in competin’ to represent Hyogo in the Spring InterHigh held in Tokyo,” Kita said. 

“And why do you think it is possible for him to be the culprit?” Sergeant Takanashi asked, his pen running across his clipboard. 

“Inarizaki won the first set, and we were close to winnin’ the second. Durin’ that second set, Yamamoto committed a clear foul, trippin’ our wing spiker, who had to be taken out of the game because of his injury.” At this, Kita could see Atsumu visibly stiffening at the mention of his twin. “Yamamoto was pulled out, too, and there were no further complications… But after the match, Atsumu had a run-in with Yamamoto and a… companion of his,” Kita explained, brow furrowed as he tried to recall Yamamoto’s friend. 

“Where did this happen?” Sergeant Okuda asked, this time directed at Atsumu. 

Atsumu looked a bit taken aback at being addressed so early into the session. “Uh, it happened in the toilet of Hyogo General Gymnasium, where we had the match. We won against Kawanishi, and while waitin’ in the bus to go home, I had t’go take a piss,” Atsumu stopped and grimaced at his own choice of words, “I mean, go to the toilet. When I was washin’ my hands, the bast - Yamamoto walked in with this other guy. The other guy was bein’ all slick and smarmy, but Yamamoto started talkin’ shi - stupid stuff. He started sayin’ real dumb things,” The setter finished. Atsumu looked unhappy now, fixing a glare at the corner of the table like it had personally wronged him. 

Aran, being the life-saver and Miya-translator that he was, took a quick look at Atsumu and added in, “We realized that Atsumu was taking a long time, and since the wing spiker injured by Yamamoto was his twin brother, Osamu,” The two sergeants looked surprised at this revelation by Aran, “we thought at first he might have gone after Yamamoto.” Aran explained, causing Atsumu to emit a small offended noise. “So our coach stayed on the bus with the other team members, while Shinsuke and I went to search for Atsumu in the restroom, the private one reserved for match participants.”

“And what happened?” Sergeant Okuda prompted.

“There were raised voices coming from inside the men’s restroom. When we walked in, we saw Yamamoto and another boy, probably a student from Kawanishi who came to support his team, near Atsumu. Yamamoto and the other student were being a bit…” Aran trailed off, searching for the correct word, “provocative. So we decided to just take Atsumu with us and leave, so we did,” he recounted carefully. The caution in his tone did not go unnoticed by the two sergeants, who had years of questioning and interrogation experience under their belts. 

“Did Yamamoto say anything to you that can help prove he’s an accurate suspect?” Sergeant Takanashi chipped in.

“He, uh… said something about Shinsuke,” Aran said hesitantly, looking at Kita with askance in his eyes. Kita knew he should back his friend up, but at that moment, his tongue was stiff and uncooperative. Because he almost forgot Yamamoto Kyuusei’s poisonous words, since it wasn’t something Kita had never heard before, albeit slightly more blunt and _dirty_. It was surprising that Aran would remember something so small and insignificant like that, in Kita’s opinion.

And it seemed like Aran wasn’t the only one who remembered, because Atsumu was the one who took it upon himself to reply. “He said somethin’ disgustin’ about Kita-san bein’ captain, but he wasn’t playin’ in the match against Kawanishi - which is crap, because even if Kita-san wasn’t playin’ then, he’s important ‘cause he cools us down and tells us how to defeat the opponent since he notices things no one else does!” Atsumu practically growled out. 

“...Yeah,” Aran agreed, “before we left the area, he mentioned that Shinsuke was ‘pretty’ and he - he was ‘good at other things’ since we liked him so much and elected him as our captain.” The volleyball ace’s voice was low and subdued, coloured with shame as he repeated what was once said in the past. 

“Is that right, Shinsuke-san?” Sergeant Okuda asked, eyes gentle.

Kita licked his lips and nodded. “...A fight would have started if anythin’ else was said, so I took ‘em both away from the area,” he stated. He could still remember the look of fury in both his friend’s eyes, who were coincidentally the ones sitting by his sides at this moment. He was glad he didn’t let the whole thing escalate into a fight… who knows what could have happened, seeing as if it was true Yamamoto Kyuusei is the culprit, what he would have done if he had a grudge against all three of them. 

“You didn’t feel angry? Although he said unsavory things about you? You’re sure you didn’t retaliate at all?” Sergeant Takanashi asked.

Before Kita could reply, Atsumu cut him off, “ _No_ , Kita-san and Aran-kun got me and we _left_. Kita-san didn’t do anythin’ at all, ‘cause he’s level-headed and he ain’t stupid like the rest of us.” His tone dripped in derision as he stared Officer Takanashi down, just like he did when one of the wing spikers failed to spike a toss from him during practice. 

“Atsumu, we’re all on the same side here, chill out,” Aran reprimanded him, and their fellow underclassman did so, although the mutinous look he levelled at Sergeant Takanashi showed just how unsatisfied he was. 

“I don’t recall acknowledgin’ his words,” Kita finally spoke, and all eyes turned to him. “I understand why ya have t’ask that. What Yamamoto said was… hurtful. I didn’t feel angry, ‘cause I can understand that it’s odd for a captain of a team to not be included in the startin’ line-up for a game,” Kita said plainly. In his peripheral view, he could see both Aran and Atsumu struggling not to defend him against his own words. 

“I wasn’t angry ‘cause what he said are things others have said or thought of before. There’s no use listenin’ to what people say if it’s not helpful fer yer own self-improvement, is what I think. So the best course of action at that time, fer me, was to ignore what he said and leave. After all,” Kita straightened his back, casting a look at both his ex-teammates, “he’s not a part of our team. S’long as my teammates trust me to fulfill my responsibilities, I am the captain of Inarizaki’s volleyball team, regardless of what others say.”

Aran had a proud look on his face, while a mixture of awe and admiration plastered itself on Atsumu. Sergeant Okuda was impressed by Kita’s words, able to see the obvious reason as to why the smallest of stature amongst the three high school boys was accepted as the leader. He may not have been the tallest or the bulkiest amongst the three, but his firm leadership skills shone through.

“I see. Thank you for answering the question, Shinsuke-san,” she said, dipping her head. “I’m sorry if this could be uncomfortable, but… referring to the incident near Muko River when you were assaulted by two men, one of them most probably affiliated with the yakuza, you mentioned that your attacker mentioned something about your looks as he proceeded to record the attack. Can you recall again what he said?”

How could Kita forget? It was easy for him to memorize and remember things for classes, and his brain played the same role when it came to other things, the Muko River incident included. 

Kita felt a chill down his spine as his mind quickly understood what she was implying. “He said that ‘they’ weren’t lying… That I was ‘quite the looker’ even after he roughed me up,” he repeated quietly, the ghost of the memory flashing across his mind. 

Kita had told the Inarizaki third years, his closest friends, everything about the event, including those details, so Aran did not look shocked. None of them had thought about it too much, more focused and worried about the fact that a yakuza member could be involved. But other people, including Atsumu, would not have known. It was no surprise that Atsumu stared at Kita in dismay, clearly distressed at the fact that there were more sticky, intricate details behind the event. 

“And Ojiro-san stated earlier that Yamamoto had referred to you as ‘pretty’... it’s a connection, one we can use,” Sergeant Takanashi said, nodding decisively. “Is there anything else you think is worth mentioning?”

“Yeah,” Atsumu said suddenly, “Aran-kun was the one who narrowed our list of suspects down, with the help of our school’s environmental club, ‘cause they know pretty much the gossip and secrets of other schools in Hyogo. We found out that Kawanishi High had new students right after the Amagasaki yakuza crackdown by the cops, and ever since then, the bullyin’ cases in Kawanishi’s real high. I know that sounds like a buncha rumours, but - ya know how they say even rumours have a grain of truth to ‘em or somethin’,” he said seriously. 

There was a hint of a smile playing on Sergeant Okuda’s lips. “I see… Thank you for your diligence on the matter, we won’t let your efforts go to waste. I believe we have all the information we need to proceed,” she said, shooting a glance at her partner.

“Almost,” Sergeant Takanashi said wryfully. “Miya-san,” he addressed the blonde setter, “Yamamoto and his associate walked in on you in the bathroom and talked to you. Sinsuke-san and Ojiro-san heard raised voices and extricated you from the situation. If it’s possible, can you share with us what was said to you before your seniors interrupted? Every bit of information helps Shinsuke-san’s case, I hope you’ll understand,” the man said.  
A shadow seemed to flit across Atsumu’s features, and his entire demeanour darkened. It was obvious to everyone in the room that it was a sensitive matter. Kita remembered on the way home earlier that day, when Atsumu was trying to convince him that suspecting Yamamoto as the mastermind who orchestrated the whole assault was valid.

_”Ya both didn’t hear what he had t’say after the match... I don’t - can’t repeat it, but trust me when I tell ya that he’s gotta be our strongest suspect.”_

“Ya don’t have t’share, Atsumu,” Kita said gently, turning his body fully so that he could meet his ex-setter’s conflicted eyes, “You and Aran have helped me enough. We have everythin’ we need.”

“And if you want us to leave the room, we can do that too,” Aran offered in a murmur.

Atsumu was quiet for a few more seconds, facial expression unreadable. Then, “...Nah. Ya both can stay t’hear, but it ain’t nice,” he said, wincing. “When Yamamoto walked in with his dumb-lookin’ friend, they started talkin’ to me all nice. They’re both not originally from Hyogo, judgin’ by the way they talk - probably from around Tokyo or somethin’. They were bein’ all fake, sayin’ one kinda thing, but thinkin’ somethin’ else. They were congratulatin’ me on our team’s win, but then started sayin’ stuff about how country schools don’t have that high a standard anyway…” Atsumu trailed off, brow scrunched slightly as he recalled the past dialogue.

“That pissed me off, not gonna lie, so I said that we still won fair and square so they have some catchin’ up to do. Yamamoto got angry then and started sayin’ stuff about - about ‘Samu. My twin brother,” Atsumu paused, biting his lip momentarily, before continuing, “He said that ‘Samu shouldn’t be a ‘little bitch and take his medicine like a man’. He said that he coulda done a lot worse with the injury, and - and wouldn’t it be interestin’ to see ‘im try t’play without a leg one day,” Atsumu’s voice wavered, and his hands clenched into tight fists on his lap.

“So - so I told them both to shut the hell up. I was gonna say more, but Kita-san and Aran-kun walked in. And that’s it. I swear,” Atsumu ended honestly. His gaze fell to his fisted hands, and a muscle worked in his jaw. The only sound in the room at that moment was from the nib of Sergeant Takanashi’s pen as it practically raced across his clipboard.

Sergeant Takanashi understood that Atsumu had nothing more to say. “Thank you, Miya-san, this will be helpful in our investigation. Before we finish up, we just need more information on the other male with Yamamoto Kyuusei.”

After a few more grueling minutes of struggling to recall details about Yamamoto’s accomplice, they were finally released. By that time, it was almost 6 o’clock, and the sky was already beginning to darken and the temperature colder. Sergeant Okuda was insistent in sending the three of them home by car, and planned to drop Kita off last since she wanted to talk to Officer Yokoyama anyway. None of them disagreed, already worn out from the whole ordeal, anticipating hot showers as well as dinner. 

When they dropped Atsumu off first, Osamu was waiting at the door of their house, an apron on and looking disgruntled. It could either be from the worry he had for his twin brother, or from the fact that his precious cooking time with food was being interrupted. He greeted Sergeant Okuda and his two seniors politely enough, but while the Miya twins’ mother was occupied talking to the sergeant, Osamu had kicked his brother into the house and a scuffle likely ensued shortly after that. 

At Aran’s house, Aran’s parents were relieved to see him. As his father thanked Sergeant Okuda for dropping their son off, Aran’s mother hugged Kita and forced him into accepting more wagashi that she had made. As the three family members watched them drive off before heading back inside together, arms around each other, Kita couldn’t help feeling the long-awaited guilt and shame that washed over him like ocean waves lapping at the shore. The turmoil of emotions kept coming, and he almost felt sick with it.

A bit of what he felt must have shown on his face because Sergeant Okuda looked at him in the backseat through the rearview mirror, and said, “Shinsuke-san… it’s clear that your friends really care for you. I’ve been in the police force for almost 6 years now, and I’ve seen things that can make the world seem hopeless. It’s touching to see the bond you share with your friends.”

“...’M lucky to have ‘em,” Kita agreed.

“And they’re lucky to have you,” Sergeant Okuda added, “Your friends, Ojiro-san and Miya-san, are smart. And Miya-san, he’s a bit of a firecracker, isn’t he?” she chuckled. “They respect you and admire you, and from my experience, having those kinds of people around you to share your burden makes things easier, not only for yourself, but for them. It eases their worries to know you trust them in kind and accept their help. Don’t berate yourself for accepting help.”

They were nearing the Kita household now, and Kita could see Officer Yokoyama’s black and white police car parked nearby. He could still feel Sergeant Okuda’s eyes lingering on him, waiting for a reply. “I’ll try,” he said, because he will definitely try… but it would be difficult, being so used to independence until now. 

“Shin-chan, you were takin’ quite some time,” Yumie said at the genkan of the house when both her grandson and the officer stepped in. Yumie briefly hugged her grandson, and over her shoulder, Kita could see Officer Yokoyama seated at the chabudai, no doubt forced by Yumie to join them for dinner. She tried to get Sergeant Okuda to join them as well, but Sergeant Okuda had more business to take care of and rejected the offer politely. The sergeant exchanged a few quiet words with Officer Yokoyama, before bidding them a good night and taking her leave. 

Dinner would have been a more quiet affair, if not for the presence of Officer Yokoyama. The atmosphere was tinted with sadness from the day’s events, and it was obvious to see that Yumie was affected from her slightly cloudy disposition. Officer Yokoyama noticed this and lightened the atmosphere by switching hilarious disastrous cooking stories and showering the elderly woman with praises for her home cooking. Kita was glad, because it worked on returning a gentle smile to his grandmother’s face as she giggled, and also, he didn’t have to recap what happened in the police station again. He focused on the conversation at hand, not allowing his mind to brood on the heavy issues that lurked in his head. 

Once dinner was over and he finished cleaning up, Kita almost rushed to his room for the shower that he was looking forward to hours ago. He spent a longer time than usual showering, taking care to scrub extra hard, to wash away the grime that although did not exist physically, still felt like it was _there_ and he needed it off. Once he was done taking refuge in the steaming hot water that clouded his senses and his overdriven brain, Kita forced himself to leave the sanctity of the bathroom and take a step out into his bedroom, into reality. He dressed himself with efficient movements, feeling more like himself again, before immersing himself in homework and notes for classes the next day. 

Kita only submerged from his studying about two hours later when he heard a tap at his bedroom door that he left slightly ajar. Yumie stood at the entrance of his bedroom, a small bowl of sliced fruit in her hands.

“Shin-chan, take a break and have some fruit. Ya had a long day,” The elderly woman said, making her way into his room. 

“Thanks, Sobo, I appreciate it,” Kita said, gesturing for his grandmother to take his chair, “Ya had a long one too… Let’s eat t’gether, I’m done studyin’.” He settled on his bed as his grandmother took a seat at his study table. Kita didn’t eat in his room, only in emergencies like sickness and fever that had him bedridden, which was rare, since he still would rather dine at their dining area then taint his room. But this could be considered one of those rare occasions.

They ate in silence for a bit, before Yumie made the first move. “Shin-chan… Yer elder sister called earlier just now. She asked how things were goin’. I still didn’t tell her about what happened, any of it. I didn’t want her or yer brother worried.”

“I would’ve done the same thing,” Kita said. 

Both his elder sister and younger brother were in Tokyo at present, his younger brother having recently moved a few months back once his sister had a stable job and got herself a big enough apartment. She wanted them all to join her in Tokyo because she claimed Tokyo schools could prepare them for academics better and the city life was easier than strenuous farmwork. Kita decided to stay because he enjoyed the country lifestyle with their grandmother ever since they were young and he couldn’t fathom leaving Yumie on her own, but his elder sister had always had her eye on the city. It reminded her of their parents before they passed, she said. 

Kita’s sister was disappointed to hear only the youngest Kita would join. She had accepted the fact that her other brother and grandmother would not leave the country, but there were times when she would be critical of their simple country life and would still try to induce them into joining her, although the decisions made were set in concrete at that point. If she were to know of the Kita’s assault at Muko River, as well as today’s latest incident at the barn… she might be motivated enough to start a fight and even return to Hyogo just to drag them both with her.

They said no more on the matter and instead, his grandmother asked him about his time in the police station with Aran and Atsumu. It had become an unspoken rule in the Kita household to tread around the topic of their two other separated kin in Tokyo with caution, as it only sprung forward feelings of heartache. Yumie never showed it with her sunny exterior, but Kita knew she was affected when two of her three grandchildren moved away. Ever since the death of their grandfather, which was shortly followed by the death of their parents, Yumie kept her grandchildren close. Even in her old age, she took custody of the three of them single-handedly, determined for them to stay together. 

His grandmother strove to replace as best as she could, those fuzzy fading memories he had of his parents. Kita knew he could never repay her, so the least he could do was stick by her side. 

“So Okuda-san will be lookin’ into Kawanishi High?” Yumie asked, as they both finished their last piece of fruit from the bowl. 

“Yeah. We don’t have any concrete evidence to tie the two t’gether, not yet… Sergeant Takanashi said they’re checkin’ to see if there are fingerprints left behind. But that might take a few days since they need to ship it to Amagasaki,” Kita reported what they were told.

“Do ya think that those Kawanishi boys were behind everythin’?” 

“... I didn’t have any suspects in mind originally,” Kita said contemplatively, “I kept thinkin’ - hopin’ that anyone in high school wouldn’t do stuff like that. But Aran and Atsumu made strong points, ones that the police accepted too, as a start to trackin’ the real suspect down. So I,” Kita paused. Although it would make things much easier if Yamamoto Kyuusei was proven to be the culprit and all this uncertainty and fear would come to an end, Kita didn’t really _want_ it to be a reality, that a first year high schooler could resort to such vile things just because he didn’t get his way. It made the world darker, scarier. “I think there’s a possibility,” he finished weakly. 

His grandmother looked at him, and Kita had no doubt that she had seen through him. He immediately trained his gaze at the edge of his bed, eyes almost boring through the wrinkles of the sheets. 

“Shin-chan, look at me,” Yumie coaxed. Kita did, feeling very much like he was five years old again and she was teaching him how to trace the hiragana letters carefully. “Don’t bother your head by thinkin’ too much. None of this is yer fault. If someone wants to do bad things then they’ll do it. It’s saddenin’ if a high schooler led to all this, but yer a high schooler too. The kami will - _I’ll_ protect you,” Yumie said assuringly.

And that. That was a big step for his grandmother. Because her belief in the kami was so devout, that it translated into everything she did. It was different from Kita, who did things for himself, for the satisfaction of completion. 

“Thank you, Granny,” he said, voice hoarse, and he enveloped her into a hug, breathing through his nose to calm the rapid beating of his heart and the sharp prick of heat behind his eyes.

* * *

Word had spread through Inarizaki again, because the very next day, Kita could feel eyes on him. Some pitying, some hostile. Before this, most people probably believed that the Muko River incident was just a random one, albeit hearing that maybe yakuza were involved, and Kita was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But a repeat of a crime by the yakuza, proven by the bloody symbol left behind at the crime scene in the Kita family’s barn, made people rethink the events. It made people know that the Kita household was targeted, for some reason. 

Atsumu still walked with Kita the next morning, and this time, he accompanied him all the way to the third year classes with the excuse that he “needed t’use the toilet, and the third year toilets were cleaner”. In class, Oomimi was already there, unnatural dark circles lining his eyes if you looked close enough, and he immediately drew his chair to Kita’s desk and told him, straightforwardly, how he and Akagi had wrangled as much as he could from Aran and was sorry they weren’t there to help with anything but hopefully, both Kita and his grandmother are okay and police surveillance was being continued because if not, Oomimi Ren was going to throw a fit on his friend’s behalf and ask his lawyer relations to represent them at court. 

Kita was taken aback by the unexpected aggression his normally calm friend portrayed, because not even in the heat of a volleyball match did Oomimi lose his cool. Touched by his friend’s obvious worry over his own safety, Kita assured him that the police had it handled, and Aran and Atsumu had helped him tremendously yesterday, and that Officer Yokoyama was once again stationed at their house. Relieved, Oomimi dropped the matter when more of their peers arrived to class, and they studied quietly together until lessons began. 

When recess came, Kita was once again shuttled off by Oomimi and a waiting Aran towards their eating area near the greenhouses. Once again, Kita couldn’t help but feel relieved at the slight reprieve from watchful gazes. It was logical to assume that the juniors would have all heard about the second yakuza incident, but they all maintained a semblance of normalcy which Kita appreciated.

...Well, things would have been like usual, except that the second years were unusually quiet. 

A quick look at the loose circle of second years told anyone what they needed to know; it was because of a Miya twins’ spat. Both twins seemed to have switched personalities. Osamu looked moody, chewing his food in mutinous silence. Atsumu’s gaze was unreadable and blank, eerily resembling his grey-haired twin. It was a far cry from his demeanour in the morning when he walked Kita to school. Near them, Suna was focused on his phone, opting to ignore them while Ginjima looked slightly nonplussed. 

“Hey, guys. The twins are at it again,” Akagi said, rolling his eyes, as he patted the bench space near him for them to join. “This time it’s somethin’ serious though… well, relatively more serious than what they usually fight about.”

“Did you see what happened?” Oomimi asked.

“Nah, they were already like that when they came. Maybe they had a fight over chores at home or somethin’,” Akagi guessed. 

Aran and Kita looked at each other, knowing full well that it wasn’t about any chore. It wasn’t difficult to connect the argument the twins probably had with Atsumu’s trip to the police station. After all, yesterday, they saw Osamu drag his brother into the house, actions rough most probably due to worry. 

“Well… nothing we can do about it now,” Aran said lightly, and Kita agreed. They couldn’t do anything, not at that moment, but maybe in a few minutes when one of the twins left for the bathroom first. It was usually Osamu, since he often beat everyone in eating speed and digesting speed. 

Sure enough, they had their chance when Osamu stalked off into the direction of the restrooms without a word. When the wing spiker was gone, Aran turned to call Atsumu over, beckoning to him, “Hey, Atsumu! C’mere and join us.”

Atsumu looked up at the bench occupied by his upperclassmen. Reluctantly, he got up and dragged his feet to join them, slumping down in the space made by Oomimi. Oomimi and Akagi immediately immersed themselves in a conversation about their upcoming exams, readily giving Aran and Kita the slight privacy they need in deconstructing the issue. They would often find out about it afterwards either way.

“...If yer gonna lecture me about ‘Samu, he’s the one who started it,” the second year mumbled.

“Is this related t’yesterday in the police station?” Kita ploughed forward. 

A nod from Atsumu.

“Is it about what Yamamoto said? Was he askin’ too much?” Aran asked furtively. 

Atsumu’s eyes widened “I - what? How’d ya guess so fast?” he hissed, baffled at the accuracy of his senpai. 

“You’re kind of an open book for us at this point, Atsumu,” Aran shrugged in reply. 

“Fine, it _was_ about yesterday. I told him everythin’ that happened in the police station, but ‘Samu wouldn’t quit pesterin’ me, wantin’ to know exactly what Yamamoto said. He said I was bein’ dramatic, that it couldn’t be _that_ bad,” Atsumu huffed, folding his arms.

Ah. Aran and Kita exchanged yet another look, coming to a decision. After the momentary silent communication, it was decided that Aran would start first. 

“You don’t plan on ever tellin’ him?” Aran prompted.

“No, ‘cause I ain’t gonna repeat that kinda stupid shit ever again,” Atsumu said vehemently.

“Why?” This time, Kita asked, voice and expression unreadable. 

Atsumu seemed startled by the ex-captain’s simple inquiry. “Because… because it’s in the past. There’s no use talkin’ about it ‘nymore,” Atsumu muttered. 

There were other things the second year was thinking, but it was clear he was holding back and had, instead, opted for an obstinate answer more befitting of the persona he often showed people. It was clear from how uncomfortable he was about reminiscing on the subtle threat delivered by Yamamoto during their questioning session in the police station that Atsumu was scared. Scared that the things Yamamoto said would come true, and his brother whom he often fought with but loved just as fiercely, would end up hurt. 

Aran mulled over his kouhai’s reply, trying to strategize on the best way to move the conversation forward. Atsumu, at times, was like a volatile live wire. You had to be careful with what you said to him. 

Kita beat him by offering an input, eyes meeting Atsumu steadily. “It may be in the past, but it’s clear that it’s affectin’ you. There’s no weakness in that. Talkin’ it out with Osamu could help, and if it doesn’t… at least ya have someone else lookin’ out for ya, and it’ll get better faster,” Kita said honestly. 

Atsumu mulled over his ex-captain’s answer in silence. A beat. Then, “Guess yer right, maybe I should tell ‘im. Then maybe he’ll get off my back.” Atsumu stood up, looking resolute. “I’m gonna tell that passive-aggressive bastard now, before his shitty mood gets even more foul,” he declared, before rushing off to find his twin. His upperclassmen watched him go, and Aran struggled to control his amusement at Atsumu’s turbulent personality.

“You handled that well, Shin, as expected,” Aran congratulated.

“...I wouldn’t have, if it was like old times. I used to think there’s no need lookin’ back at the past if yer not reflectin’ to improve, but there are some things in the past that needs addressin’ before you can move on, ” Kita admitted, before digging into his bento. No more was said on the issue, and the conversation turned to lighter topics.

Osamu and Atsumu emerged just a minute before the bell that marked the end of recess rang, looking more like themselves than before. If anyone noticed the slightly red-rimmed eyes of both twins and the suspicious sniffles from Atsumu, no one said anything, grateful that whatever conflict the twins had was resolved.

* * *

Surprisingly, things came to a head on Friday of that very week, three days after the meeting in the police station and the barn incident. Kita was in his room, folding up laundry methodically, when the house phone rang shrilly. He heard Yumie answer it, followed by conversation muffled by the walls, and thought nothing more of it, until…

“Shin-chan, it’s Okuda-san,” his grandmother called out to him. 

Kita halted in his actions, putting the last shirt he was holding onto down. His stomach rolled in anxiety and his heart rate picked up visibly, and he hoped that Sergeant Okuda had good news. 

“Comin’,” he said, voice betraying none of his tension, before leaving his room and making his way towards the living room, where his grandmother was holding on to the receiver. He didn’t dare look at the elderly woman’s face, eyes trained on the black receiver.

“Okuda-san? It’s Shinsuke,” he said, once the receiver was in his hold. 

“Shinsuke-kun, thank you for answering the phone,” Okuda’s voice filtered through the line. “We have good news. We successfully conducted background checks on both Yamamoto Kyuusei and his companion, identified as Ito Saburo. We brought Saburo in for questioning, and he revealed that both he and Yamamoto were behind the Muko River incident, as well as the desecration of your family’s barn… there are a few more things that need to be done from here, but I just wanted to inform you that with a clear-cut confession like this, this case will be resolved as soon as possible.”

It was as if a heavy weight that had been pulling him down into the core of the Earth was lifted. Kita felt his pulse slow down, and his stomach stopped rolling. He finally made eye contact with Yumie, who had a gentle smile gracing her features. Realizing that he was yet to give a reply, Kita cleared his throat. “T-Thank you, Okuda-san. It’s relievin’ to hear this,” he managed to rasp out. 

“We will be updating you soon. Both you and your grandmother take care, Shinsuke-kun.” The call ended. 

Immediately, Kita felt himself being enveloped into a warm hug from Yumie, which he reciprocated although his limbs felt numb and he felt slightly dazed. 

“They’ve got the culprits, Shina-chan. It’s over,” Yumie said, voice muffled.

* * *

Yumie had invited Officer Yokoyama inside for hot tea and snacks, eager to break the news to him, but it seemed he was notified about the matter around the same time they were. Kita joined them for a bit, a corner of his lip tugged up into a smile, to see his grandmother return to her bubbly and cheerful self. 

After clearing up, Kita excused himself and made a beeline towards his room, where he immediately shot a message towards Aran personally, as well as the Inarizaki Third Years VBC group. 

****

**Today 6:30 PM**

**Kita Shinsuke  
Aran, Sergeant Okuda called. Yamamoto Kyuusei and his friend, Ito Saburo, are being apprehended. **

**Today 6:32 PM**

**Ojiro Aran  
OMG, THAT’S GREAT NEWS, SHIN!!!!! And it’s so fast?! The police are so reliable! I’m so glad to hear this, Shin!**

**Inarizaki Third Years VBC**

**Today 6:30 PM**

**Kita Shinsuke  
The sergeant on my case called the house. The culprits responsible have been identified and are being apprehended, Yamamoto Kyuusei and Ito Saburo.**

**Today 6:32 PM**

**Ojiro Aran  
Shinsuke, I’m so happy! How are you feelin’?**

**Today 6:35 PM**

**Oomimi Ren  
This is such good news, Shinsuke. Let’s get together this weekend and visit the shrine for blessings!**

**Ojiro Aran  
Great idea, Ren!**

**Kita Shinsuke  
Thank you for all your support… I can’t thank any of you enough.**

**Oomimi Ren  
This is cliche, but that’s what friends are for!**

**Today 6:45 PM**

**Akagi Michinari  
OMG I’m late to the party AGAIN. I just finished dinner! SHINSUKE, I’M SO GLAD TO HEAR THE NEWS. Yeah, let’s ALL go to the shrine tomorrow, PLS. THEN, DETAILS. **

****

Kita shook his head, amused at Akagi’s enthusiasm. He would definitely share with them all the information he obtained on the situation. It was the least he could do after all they had done for him. Speaking of which… after thinking about it for a few seconds, he decided to send Atsumu a message too. 

****

**Today 6:50 PM**

**Kita Shinsuke  
Atsumu, this is Kita. I received a call from Sergeant Okuda. Both Yamamoto Kyuusei and his friend, Ito Saburo, are bein’ apprehended. They got a confession from Ito, and they’ll update me on the situation more soon. **

****

Kita was amused to see that the text he sent to Atsumu was read almost immediately. But for a few minutes, he didn’t receive a response. Instead, he could see that Atsumu was typing. Kita wondered if it was going to be a long message, judging by the amount of time his kouhai was taking. 

****

**Today 6:54 PM**

**Miya Atsumu  
Kita-san, that’s so relieving to hear! I’m glad! Thanks for tellin’ me, I appreciate it. **

**Today 6:55 PM**

**Kita Shinsuke  
Thank you for all yer help and support. I hope I’m able to repay all that you’ve done, one day. You don’t have to force yourself to wake up early in the mornin’ anymore to accompany me to school. Sorry for all the trouble.**

**Today 6:55 PM**

**Miya Atsumu  
NO, IT’S NOT TROUBLE AT ALL, KITA-SAN!!!1! **

**I like walkin with ya to school, and my body’s so used to it I’m gonna continue wakin’ up the same time now. So let’s walk t’gether till ya graduate, ok???**

**Today 6:57 PM**

**Kita Shinsuke  
Haha, if you say so, Atsumu. It’s nice walkin’ with ya to school, too. It makes me feel like a hotshot, walkin’ next to good-lookin’, great-at-settin’ Miya Atsumu.**

**Today 7:11 PM**

**Miya Atsumu  
Sorry for the late reply, Kita-san, dumb ‘Samu got my phone…**

**You think I’m great at settin’? Thanks, Cap’n, hope with my settin’ we can get to Nationals again and beat Karasuno next time!**

**Today 7:12 PM**

**Kita Shinsuke  
You’re a great setter, Atsumu, and a good person. You’ll get to Nationals again. I’ll see you this Monday. Good night.**

**Miya Atsumu  
Thanks, Kita-san, good night! <3**

**SORRY FOR THE EMOJI GNIGHT.**

****

After that, Kita decided to indulge himself with a thorough scrub and a hot shower that washed away all the lines of tension that had accumulated over the past few weeks. He felt like he could breathe in an easier manner now, since all his worries and concerns at that moment were that of any other senior year high schooler. 

It was liberating.

* * *

Sergeant Okuda reached out to the Kita Household again on late Monday afternoon, with more details to flesh out the entire story. The police had contacted Kawanishi High’s principal, and although there was some resistance at first, they ultimately gained permission needed to conduct background checks on the student body, particularly on Yamamoto Kyuusei. 

Kawanishi High wasn’t a big school, so it was easy to identify Yamamoto Kyuusei’s close companion who was by his side almost all the time, and from the details given by Kita, Atsumu and Aran, was the same individual whom they all met in the men’s restroom of Hyogo General Gymnasium, Ito Saburo. They were distantly-related cousins, and both were new students who transferred to Kawanishi High from a high school in Amagasaki.

It seemed like Yamamoto’s father was part of the Yamaguchi-gumi, and was one of the many members detained by the police. Yamamoto’s mother moved to Kawanishi, in the hopes that her son would be removed from all the dirty ties of the yakuza, but Yamamoto was intent on following in his father’s footsteps. With his cousin being transferred to the same school, and with their physiques as well as connections to the yakuza, it was easy to get students in Kawanishi High to bend towards their will. Even some of the teachers reported that Yamamoto and Ito made them uncomfortable and were unpleasant students. 

Ito was the first to be cornered by police, because Sergeant Okuda suspected that Yamamoto was the mastermind that could sway his weaker-minded companion. It didn’t take long for Ito to succumb during questioning, and reveal that Yamamoto was indeed involved behind Kita’s assault. He was angry at Inarizaki’s team for snatching victory away from them, and decided to target Inarizaki’s captain, specifically. He had reached out to some yakuza members who were friends of his father’s to target Kita and ‘knock some sense into him’, which they did. 

Sergeant Okuda also discovered that the trespasser who desecrated the Kita family’s barn was Ito himself, who was suspended from Kawanishi High a few days before the incident, as teachers had caught him and Yamamoto harassing some first year students for money. Yamamoto was let off since Ito lied and said it was all his idea to protect his cousin, and he was suspended from school for two weeks. That was when both he and Yamamoto decided that he would use that time to further the harassment on Kita.

“You’re all high schoolers, which complicates things… but the final decision has been made by the Court Official in Family Court, and both Yamamoto Kyuusei and Saburo Ito will be admitted to the juvenile correction center in Nara. Of course, Yamamoto Kyuusei’s mother is insistent on arranging recompensations for everything, the barn as well as the assault at Muko River,” Sergeant Okuda explained. 

This time, Sergeant Okuda had called Kita on his phone, and he had put it on loudspeaker and set it on the chabudai between both him and Yumie. Kita looked at his grandmother silently. After reading what was reflected in her eyes, he nodded. It seemed they were both in agreement. From Sergeant Okuda’s depiction of the Yamamoto family, they used to be a family of three which was now in shambles, with a yakuza father locked behind bars and a mother struggling to ensure her son was removed from the murky environment that swallowed her husband up. Having her son admitted to a juvenile correction center was more than enough trouble.

“It’s fine, Okuda-san, we didn’t lose much. We appreciate it, but it’s not necessary. We’re very grateful to you for havin’ settle this whole thing,” Kita replied, to which Sergeant Okuda hummed in affirmation.

“Thank you, Shinsuke-kun. Yamamoto-san is distraught with her son’s actions, but the correctional center may be a good opportunity for Kyuusei if he chooses to improve. It will separate both him and his cousin from the Yamaguchi-gumi… You and your grandmother are good people, Shinsuke-kun, and I’m glad all of this is over.”

They talked for a bit longer, Yumie hijacking the conversation and insisting that Sergeant Okuda drop by their house when she returned to their area for a thank you meal. Once they ended the call, they started preparing an early dinner together. Yumie had bought tofu to prepare her grandson’s favourite tofu hamburger. Kita was grateful, relishing in his grandmother’s company, as they both set about their tasks. 

“You visited the shrine with Ojiro-kun and the others, right, Shin-chan? Whose idea was it? I don’t think it’s yers,” Yumie said playfully, a twinkle in her eye.

“Ya know me so well, Granny. It was Ren’s idea,” Kita admitted as he chopped the onions,”It was a nice time, hangin’ with them. They’re really good people, my friends.” Kita had more than a hint of pride to his tone. 

“It’s ‘cause yer a good person too, Shin-chan. Good things happen to good people… or, well, good people deserve happy endings,” Yumie said. She turned on the kitchen sink, and the sound of water gushing out of the pipe filled the kitchen. It was all so domestic and familiar, no ominous feeling lurking in the nooks and crannies of the house. No uncertainty. 

“...I don’t think my volleyball kouhai would say the same ‘bout me,” Kita said drily, causing his grandmother to laugh at his joke. 

“Ya sure? ‘Cause I asked Ojiro-kun about yer kouhai that walks ya to school each mornin’, the blonde one. He looks like he’d agree with me, an’ maybe even more,” Yumie giggled.

“Granny, how couldja say stuff like that? What about you cozyin’ up to Officer Yokoyama? He’s been invited for tea and dinner more than any of my friends,” Kita retorted, a grin on his face. Yumie started giggling even more as she denied it.

The atmosphere of the Kita household seemed to slowly return to normal, as if the past few months never happened. But of course, things are just not that easy although they should be, even for good people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was a RIDE. I enjoyed writing some parts, some parts I just had to address technicalities. Can you tell? Haha! Anyway, I'm writing the next chapter NOW and I want to post it before my program officially starts in uni because once I rotate, I'm GONE. Bye bye, Haikyuu characters, I'll just see y'all in my daydreams as I conduct experiments, I guess. All feedback is appreciated! And next chapter is the ULTIMATE BOSS BATTLE. The Yamaguchi-gumi gang are not done yet, but NIETHER IS KITA AND YUMIE. Take care, and until next time!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hoped you liked it, and I appreciate all kinds of feedback, so that I can improve! My native language isn't English, but I do enjoy writing in it, haha! I was thinking of capping this fic at two chapters, so the next one might be pretty long. Take care!


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